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Suetonius: The
lives of the
Caesars,
books V-VIII.

The lives of ...

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THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY

EDITED BY

E. CAPrS, Ph.D., LL.D. T. E. FAGB, Litt.D. W. H. D. ROUSE, Lrrr.D.

SUETONIUS
II

Digitized by

SUETONIUS

WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY
J. C. ROLFE, Ph.D.

PROFESSOR OF THK LATIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN TWO VOLUMES
II

Digitized by

471363

Pint printed 19U
Reprinted 1920

♦

Digitized by GooQle

CONTENTS

Page

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS {continued)—

BOOK V.— THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS J

BOOK VI. — NERO 85

BOOK VII. — GALBA, OTIIO, AND VITKLL1US 189

BOOK VIII. — THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN, THE DEIFIED

TITUS, DOMITIAN . . . 279

THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN —

PREFATORY NOTE 388

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 394

GRAMMARIANS AND RHETORICIANS —

GRAM MARIA N S . . . • 396

RHETORICIANS 434

POETS —

TERENCE S52

VERGIL 464

HORACE 484

TIBULLUS 492

PERSIUS 494

IjUCan 500

the lives of pliny the elder and passienus

CRISPUS 504

INDEX 509

vii

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y Google

THE

LIVES OF THE CAESARS

BOOK V
THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

VOL. II.

Digitized by

DE VITA CAESARUM

LIBER V

DIVUS CLAUDIUS

I. Patrem Claudi Caesaris Drusum, olim Decimum
mox Neronem praenomine, Li via, cum Augusto gra-
vida nupsisset, intra mensem tertium peperit, fuitque
suspicio ex vitrico per adulterii consuetudinem pro-
creatum. Statim certe vulgatus est versus :

2 Is Drusus in quaesturae praeturaeque honore dux
Raetici, deinde Germanici belli Oceanum septem-
trionalem primus Romanorum ducum navigavit trans-
que Rhenum fossas navi et immensi operis effecit,
quae nunc adhuc Drusinae vocantur. Hostem etiam
frequenter caesum ac penitus in intimas solitudines
actum non prius destitit insequi, quam species
barbarae mulieris humana amplior victorem tendere

• See Aug. lxii. 2.

6 Literally, " the blest," those on whom fortune smiles.
c The fossae Drusinae, two miles long, connecting the Rhine
with the Yssel, to furnish a passage to the North Sea.

ToiS €VTV\OV(TL KOL TplfJLYJVa 7r<uoYa.

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS

BOOK V

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

I. The father of Claudius Caesar, Drusus, who at
first had the forename Decimus and later that of
Nero, was born of Livia within three months after 38 n.c.
her marriage to Augustus ° (for she was with child at
the time) and there was a suspicion that he was
begotten by his stepfather in adulterous intercourse.
Certain it is that this verse at once became
current :

" In three months' time come children to the great." 6

This Drusus, while holding the offices of quaestor
and praetor, was in charge of the war in Raetia and
later of that in Germany. He was the first of Roman 15 b.c
generals to sail the northern Ocean, and beyond the
Rhine with prodigious labour he constructed the 12-11 b.c
huge canals which to this very day are called by his
name/ Even after he had defeated the enemy in
many battles and driven them far into the wilds of
the interior, he did not cease his pursuit until the
apparition of a barbarian woman of greater than

b 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

3 ultra sermone Latino prohibuisset. Quas ob res
ovandi ius et triumphalia ornamenta percepit; ac
post praeturam confestim inito consulatu atque
expeditione repetita supremum diem morbo obiit in
aestivis castris, quae ex eo Scelerata sunt appellata.
Corpus eius per municipiorum coloniarumque primores
suscipientibus obviis scribarum decuriis ad urbem
devectum sepultumque est in campo Martio. Ceterum
exercitus honorarium ei tumulum excitavit, circa
quem deinceps stato die quotannis miles decurreret
Galliarumque civitates publice supplicarent. Praeterea
senatus inter alia complura marmoreum arcum cum
tropaeis via Appia decrevit et Germanici cognomen

4 ipsi posterisque eius. Fuisse autem creditur non
minus gloriosi quam civilis animi; nam ex hoste
super victorias opima quoque spolia captasse summo-
que saepius discrimine duces Germanorum tota acie
insectatus ; nec dissimulasse umquam pristinum se
rei p. statum, quandoque posset, restituturum. Unde
existimo nonnullos tradere ausos, suspectum eum
Augusto revocatumque ex provincia et quia cunc-
taretur, interceptum veneno. Quod equidem magis

• See Aug. xxii. 6 Cf. Tib. vii. 3.

The reference is probably to the acribae quaestorii, the
quaestor's clerks, who were the most important of the
attendants upon the magistrates. They formed a guild com-
posed of six decuriae, or divisions of ten, presided over by
six officers called sex primi curatorum.

d A decursus or decursio. Dio, 56. 42, describes the one
about the funeral pyre of Augustus. After running around
it in full armour, the soldiers cast into the fire the military
prizes which they had received from the emperor ; cf. Jul.
lxxxiv. 4.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

human size, speaking in the Latin tongue, forbade
him to push his victory further. For these exploits
he received the honour of an ovation with the
triumphal regalia ; and immediately after his praetor-
ship he became consul and resumed his campaign,
but died in his summer camp, which for that reason 9 b.c
was given the name of " Accursed." The body was
carried by the leading men of the free towns and
colonies to Rome, 6 where it was met and received
by the decuries of scribes/ and buried in the campus
Martius. But the army reared a monument in his
honour, about which the soldiers should make a
ceremonial run d each year thereafter on a stated
day, which the cities of Gaul were to observe with
prayers and sacrifices. The senate, in addition
to many other honours, voted him a marble arch
adorned with trophies on the Appian Way, and
the surname Germanicus for himself and his
descendants. It is the general belief that he was
as eager for glory as he was democratic e by nature ;
for in addition to victories over the enemy he greatly
desired to win the " noble trophies,"/ often pursuing
the leaders of the Germans all over the field at great
personal risk ; and he made no secret of his intention
of restoring the old-time form of government, when-
ever he should have the power. It is because of this,
I think, that some have made bold to write that he
was an object of suspicion to Augustus; that the
emperor recalled him from his province, and when he
did not obey at once, took him off by poison. This

• See note on Tib, xxvi. 1.

f The tpolia opima were the armour of the leader of the
enemy, taken from him in hand-to-hand combat by a Roman

general.

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

ne praetermitterem rettuli, quam quia verum aut
veri simile putem, cum Augustus tanto opere et
vivum dilexerit, ut coheredem semper filiis instituerit,
sicut quondam in senatu professus est, et defunctum
ita pro contione laudaverit, ut deos precatus sit,
similes ei Caesares suos facerent sibique tarn honestum
quandoque exitum darent quam illi dedissent. Nec
contentus elogium tumulo eius versibus a se com-
positis insculpsisse, etiam vitae memoriam prosa
oratione composuit.
6 Ex Antonia minore complures quidem liberos tulit,
verum tres omnino reliquit : Germanicum, Livillam,
Claudium.

II. Claudius natus est Iullo 1 Antonio Fabio
Africano conss. Kal. Aug. Luguduni eo ipso die quo
primum ara ibi .Augusto dedieata est, appellatusque
Tiberius Claudius Drusus. Mox fratre maiore in
Iuliam familiam adoptato Germanici cognomen as-
sumpsit. Infans autem relictus a patre ac per omne
fere pueritiae atque adulescentiae tempus variis et
tenacibus morbis conflictatus est, adeo ut ammo
simul et cor pore hebetato ne progressa quidem
aetate ulli publico privatoque muneri habilis existi-
2 maretur. .Diu atque etiam post tutelam receptam
alieni arbitrii et sub paedagogo fuit ; quern barbarum
et olim superiumentarium ex industria sibi appositum,

1 Iullo, Ihm ; Iulio, fl ; Iulo, Ptdmann.

* C. and L. Caesar ; see Tib. xxiii. and Index.
6 That is, on the anniversary of the dedication, which was
in 12 B.C.

That is, the age at which one was ordinarily freed from
tutelage. The usual formula is in suam tutelam venire, Cio.
De Orat. i. 39. 180.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

I have mentioned, rather not to pass it by, than that
I think it true or even probable ; for as a matter of
fact Augustus loved him so dearly while he lived that
he always named him joint-heir along with his sons,
as he once declared in the senate ; and when he was
dead, he eulogized him warmly before the people,
praying the gods to make his Caesars ° like Drusus,
and to grant him, when his time came, as glorious a
death as they had given that hero. And not content
with carving a laudatory inscription on his tomb in
verses of his own composition, Augustus also wrote a
memoir of his life in prose.

Drusus had several children by the younger
Antonia, but was survived by only three, Germanicus,
Livilla, and Claudius.

II. Claudius was born at Lugdunum on the Aug. 1,
Kalends of August in the consulship of Iullus 10 Ba
Antonius and Fabius Africanus, the very day when an
altar was first dedicated to Augustus in that town, 6
and he received the name of Tiberius Claudius
Drusus. Later, on the adoption of his elder brother
into the Julian family, he took the surname
Germanicus. He lost his father when he was still
an infant, and throughout almost the whole course of
his childhood and youth he suffered so severely from
various obstinate disorders that the vigour of both his
mind and his body was dulled, and even when he
reached the proper age he was not thought capable
of any public or private business. For a long time,
even after he reached the age of independence,* he was
in a state of pupillage and under a guardian, of whom
he himself makes complaint in a book of his, saying
that he was a barbarian and a former chief of
muleteers, put in charge of him for the express

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

ut se quibuscumque de causis quam saevissime
coerceret, ipse quodam libello conqueritur. Ob hanc
eandem valitudinem et gladiatorio munere, quod
simul cum fratre memoriae patris edebat, palliolatus
novo more praesedit ; et togae virilis die circa mediam
noctem sine sollemni officio lectica in Capitolium
latus est.

III. Disciplinis tamen liberalibus ab aetate prima
non mediocrem operam dedit ac saepe experimenta
cuiusque etiam publicavit. Verum ne sic quidem
quicquam dignitatis assequi aut spem de se com-
modiorem in posterum facere potuit.

2 Mater Antonia portentum eum hominis dictitabat,
nec absolutum a natura, sed tantum incohatum ; ac
si quern socordiae argueret, stultiorem aiebat filio
suo CI audio. A via Augusta pro despectissimo semper
habuit, non affari nisi rarissime, non monere nisi
acerbo et brevi scripto aut per internuntios solita.
Soror Livilla cum audisset quandoque imperaturum,
tarn iniquam et tam indignam sortem p. R. palam
et clare detestata est. Nam avunculus maior
Augustus quid de eo in utramque partem opinatus
sit, quo certius cognoscatur, capita ex ipsius epistulis
posui.

IV. "Collocutus sum cum Tiberio, ut mandasti,
mea Livia, quid nepoti tuo Tiberio faciendum esset
ludis Martialibus. Consentit autem uterque nostrum,
semel nobis esse statuendum, quod consilium in illo
sequamur. Nam si est artius, ut ita dicam, holocleros,

• Of relatives and friends.
» The future emperor. « Claudius.
4 Celebrated by Augustus in 12 a.d. in honour of Mare
Ultor ; of. Aug. xxix. 1 and 2.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

purpose of punishing him with all possible severity
for any cause whatever. It was also because of his
weak health that contrary to all precedent he wore a
cloak when he presided at the gladiatorial games
which he and his brother gave in honour of their
father ; and on the day when he assumed the gown
of manhood he was taken in a litter to the Capitol
about midnight without the usual escort.*

III. Yet he gave no slight attention to liberal
studies from his earliest youth, and even published
frequent specimens of his attainments in each line.
But even so he could not attain any public position
or inspire more favourable hopes of his future.

His mother Antonia often called him "a monster
of a man, not finished but merely begun by Dame
Nature " ; and if she accused anyone of dulness, she
used to say that he was " a bigger fool than her son
Claudius." His grandmother Augusta always treated
him with the utmost contempt, very rarely speaking
to him ; and when she admonished him, she did so in
short, harsh letters, or through messengers. When
his sister Li villa heard that he would one day be
emperor, she openly and loudly prayed that the
Roman people might be spared so cruel and
undeserved a fortune. Finally to make it clearer what
opinions, favourable and otherwise, his great uncle
Augustus had of him, I have appended extracts from
his own letters :

IV. " I have talked with Tiberius, 6 my dear Li via,
as you requested, with regard to what is to be done
with your grandson Tiberius c at the games of Mars. d
Now we are both agreed that we must decide once
for all what plan we are to adopt in his case. For if

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

quid est quod dubitemus, quin per eosdem articulos
et gradus producendus sit, per quos frater eius

2 productus sit? Sin autem rjkaTT&o-Oai 1 sentimus
eum et fofiXd^Oai kclI €is ttjv tov (rw/xaTos xat cts
tt]v rrjs $v)(f}s 2 apTiorrjTa, praebenda materia deri-
dendi et ilium et nos non est hominibus ra roiavra
<rKW7rTciv koL fivKTTjpi&iv €md0oo-iv. 3 Nam semper
aestuabimus, si de singulis articulis temporum deli-
berabimus, firj irpoviroKei^ivov rjfuv posse arbitremur

3 eum gerere honores necne. In praesentia tamen
quibus de rebus consulis, curare eum ludis Martialibus
triclinium sacerdotum non displicet nobis, si est
passurus se ab Silvani filio homine sibi affini ad m oner i,
ne quid faciat quod conspici et derideri possit.
Spectare eum circenses ex pulvinari non placet
nobis ; expositus enim in fronte prima spectaculorum
conspicietur. In Albanum montem ire eum non
placet nobis aut esse Romae Latinarum die bus. Cur
enim non praeficitur urbi, si potest sequi fratrem

4 suum in montem ? Habes nostras, mea Livia, senten-
tias, quibus placet semel de tota re aliquid constitui,
ne semper inter spem et metum fluctuemur. Licebit
autem, si voles, Antoniae quoque nostrae des hanc
partem epistulae huius legendam." Rursus alteris
litteris :

5 "Tiberium adulescentem ego vero, dum tu
aberis, cotidie invitabo ad cenam, ne solus cenet cum

1 ^KarrSxrOatj Beroaldus ; eXarrccaOat and eXarruaeai, mss.

8 tyvxns, Jirst Roman editions ; ^xvsj mss.

9 elccddcrtv, Roman editions ; criitodoffiv, most of the mss.

a The two Greek words, &prios and ShSicKripos, mean "com-
plete," "perfect of one's kind;" the meaning therefore is
" if he have his five senses."

* See note on Aug. xlv. 1.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

he be sound a and so to say complete, what reason
have we for doubting that he ought to be advanced
through the same grades and steps through which
his brother has been advanced ? But if we realize
that he is wanting and defective in soundness of
body and mind, we must not furnish the means of
ridiculing both him and us to a public which is wont
to scoff at and deride such things. Surely we shall
always be in a stew, if we deliberate about each
separate occasion and do not make up our minds in
advance whether we think he can hold public offices
or not. However, as to the matters about which
you ask my present advice, I do not object to his
having charge of the banquet of the priests at the
games of Mars, if he will allow himself to be advised
by his kinsman the son of Silvan us, so as not to do
anything to make himself conspicuous or ridiculous.
That he should view the games in the Circus from
the Imperial box b does not meet with my approval ;
for he will be conspicuous if exposed to full view in
the front of the auditorium. I am opposed to his
going to the Alban Mount or being in Rome on the
days of the Latin festival ; for why should he not be
made prefect of the city, if he is able to attend his
brother to the Mount ? You have my views, my
dear Li via, to wit that I desire that something be
decided once for all about the whole matter, to save
us from constantly wavering between hope and fear.
Moreover, you may, if you wish, give this part of my
letter to our kinswoman Antonia also to read."
Again in another letter :

" I certainly shall invite the young Tiberius to
dinner every day during your absence, to keep him

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

suo Sulpicio et Athenodoro. Qui vellem diligentius
et minus /Acrcwpois deligeret sibi aliquem, cuius
motum et habitum et incessum imitaretur. Misellus
arvxel' nam iv rots o-rrovSaiois, ubi non aberravit eius
animus, satis apparet rj rrjs ^v^s avrov cuycycta."
Item tertiis litteris :

6 " Tiberium nepotem tuum placere mihi declaman-
tem potuisse, peream nisi, mea Livia, admiror. Nam
qui tarn do-a^ws loquatur, qui possit cum declamat
<ra<£(os dicere quae dicenda sunt, non video."

7 Nec dubium est, quid post haec Augustus consti-
tuent, et 1 reliquerit eum nullo praeter auguralis sacer-
dotii honore impertitum ac ne heredem quidem nisi
inter tertios ac paene extraneos e 2 parte sexta nun-
cuparet, legato quoque 3 non amplius quam octingen-
torum sestertiorum prosecutus.

V. Tiberius patruus petenti honores consularia or-
namenta detulit ; sed instantius legitimos flagitanti id
solum codicillis rescripsit, quadraginta aureos in
Saturnalia et Sigillaria 4 misisse ei. Tunc demum
abiecta spe dignitatis ad otium concessit, modo in
hortis et suburbana domo, modo in Campaniae secessu
delitescens, atque ex contubernio sordidissimorum ho-
minum super veterem segnitiae notam ebrietatis

1 et, m88. ; ut, Smilda ; cum, Bentley.

2 e, second Roman edition ; ne, CI.

8 legato quoque, Ernesti ; legatoque, mss. ; legato, Torren-
tins.

4 sigillaria, IP? ; sigillari, A.

° See note on Jul. lxxxiii. 2 ; the heirs in the third degree
had little or no prospect of receiving their inheritance.

6 December 21 and 22, an extension of the Saturnalia,
when it was customary to make presents of little images of
various kinds (rigilla) ; also the name of a quarter or street
in Rome, see chap. xvi. 4 ; Nero, xxviii. 2,

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

from dining alone with his friends Sulpicius and
Athenodorus. I do wish that he would choose more
carefully and in a less scatter-brained fashion some-
one to imitate in his movements, bearing, and gait.
The poor fellow is unlucky ; for in important matters,
where his mind does not wander, the nobility of his
character is apparent enough." Also in a third
letter:

" Confound me, dear Li via, if I am not surprised
that your grandson Tiberius could please me with his
declaiming. How in the world anyone who is so
unclear in his conversation can speak with clearness
and propriety when he declaims, is more than I can
see."

There is no doubt at all what Augustus later
decided, and that he left him invested with no office
other than the augural priesthood, not even naming
him as one of his heirs, save in the third degree a and to
a sixth part of his estate, among those who were all
but strangers ; while the legacy that he left him was
not more than eight hundred thousand sesterces.

V. His paternal uncle Tiberius gave him the
consular regalia, when he asked for office ; but when
he urgently requested the actual position, Tiberius
merely replied by a note in these words : " I have
sent you forty gold-pieces for the Saturnalia and the
Sigillaria." 6 Then at last Claudius abandoned all
hope of advancement and gave himself up to idleness,
living in obscurity now in his house and gardens in
the suburbs, and sometimes at a villa in Campania ;
moreover from his intimacy with the lowest of men he
incurred the reproach of drunkenness and gambling,
in addition to his former reputation for dulness.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

quoque et aleae infamiam subiit, cum interim, quan-
quam hoc modo agenti, numquam aut officium
hominum aut reverentia publice defuit.

VI. Equester ordo bis patronum eum perferendae
pro se legationis elegit, semel cum deportandum
Romam corpus Augusti umeris suis ab consulibus
exposceret, 1 iterum cum oppressum Seianum apud
eosdem gratularetur ; quin et spectaculis advenienti
assurgere et * lacernas 2 deponere solebat. Senatus
quoque, ut ad numerum sodalium Augustalium sorte
ductorum extra ordinem adiceretur, censuit et mox
ut domus ei,quam incendio amiserat, publica impensa
restitueretur, dicendaeque inter consulares sententiae
ius esset. Quod decretum abolitum est, excusante
Tiberio imbecillitatem eius ac damnum liberalitate
sua resarsurum pollicente. Qui tamen moriens et in
tertiis heredibus eum ex parte tertia nuncupatum,
legato etiam circa sestertium vicies prosecutus,
commendavit insuper exercitibus ac senatui populoque
R. inter ceteras necessitudines nominatim.

VII. Sub Gaio demum fratris filio secundam
existimationem circa initia imperii omnibus lenociniis
colli gen te honores auspicatus consulatum gessit una
per duos menses, evenitque ut primitus ingredienti
cum fascibus Forum praetervolans aquila dexteriore
umero consideret. Sortitus est et de altero con-

1 exposceret, $- ; exposceretur, Casaubon ; exposcerent, m*a.

2 lacernas, U 2 T ; the other mss. have luoernas.

a Founded by Tiberius for the worship of the Deified
Augustus.
* Of his house.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

Yet all this time, despite his conduct, he never lacked
attention from individuals or respect from the
public.

VI. The equestrian order twice chose him as their
patron, to head a deputation on their behalf:
once when they asked from the consuls the privi-
lege of carrying the body of Augustus to Rome on
their shoulders, and again when they offered them
their congratulations on the downfall of Sejanus.
They even used to rise when he appeared at the
public shows and put off their cloaks. The senate too
voted that he be made a special member of the
priests of Augustus/ who were usually chosen by lot ;
when he later lost his house by fire, that it should be
rebuilt at the public expense, and that he should
have the honour of giving his opinion among the con-
sulars. This second decree was however repealed, since
Tiberius urged Claudius's infirmity as a reason, and
promised that he would make the loss b good through
his own generosity. Yet when Tiberius died, he
named Claudius only among his heirs in the third
degree, to a third part of his estate, although he
gave him in addition a legacy of about two million
sesterces, and expressly commended him besides to
the armies and to the senate and people of Rome
with the rest of his kinsfolk.

VII. It was only under his nephew Gaius, who in
the early part of his reign tried to gain popularity
by every device, that he at last began his official
career, holding the consulship as his colleague for
two months ; and it chanced that as he entered the
Forum for the first time with the fasces, an eagle
that was flying by lit upon his shoulder. He was

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

sulatu in quartum annum; praeseditque nonnum-
quam spectaculis in Gai vicem, adclamante populo :
ss Feliciter " partim " patruo imperatoris " partim
" Germanici fratri ! "

VIII. Nec eo minus contumeliis obnoxius vixit.
Nam et si paulo serius ad praedictam cenae horam
occurrisset, non nisi aegre et circuito demum triclinio
recipiebatur, et quotiens post cibum addormisceret,
quod ei fere accidebat, olearum aut palmularum
ossibus incessebatur, interdum ferula flagrove velut
per ludum excitabatur a copreis. Solebant et
manibus stertentis socci induci, ut repente experge-
factus faciem sibimet confricaret.

IX. Sed ne discriminibus quidem caruit. Primum
in ipso cpnsulatu, quod Neronis et Drusi fratrum
Caesaris statuas segnius locandas ponendasque
curasset, paene honore summotus est; deinde
extraneo vel etiam domesticorum aliquo deferente
assidue varieque inquietatus. Cum vero detecta
esset Lepidi et Gaetulici coniu ratio, missus in
Germaniam inter legatos ad gratulandum etiam vitae
periculum adiit, indignante ac fremente Gaio patruum
potissimum ad se missum quasi ad puerum regendum,
adeo ut non defuerint, qui traderent praecipitatum

2 quoque in flumen, sic ut vestitus advenerat. Atque

° Gaius appointed a number of consuls at once, who drew
lots for the year when they were to hold the office.
» See GcUig. viii. 1 and xxiv. 3. c The Rhine.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

also allotted a second consulship, to be held four
years later/ 1 and several times he presided at the
shows in place of Gaius, and was greeted by the
people now with " Success to the emperor's uncle ! "
and now with " All hail to the brother of German-
icus ! "

VIII. But all this did not save him from constant
insults ; for if he came to dinner a little after
the appointed time, he took his place with difficulty
and only after making the round of the dining-room.
Whenever he went to sleep after dinner, which was
a habit of his, he was pelted with the stones of
olives and dates, and sometimes he was awakened by
the jesters with a whip or cane, in pretended sport.
They used also to put slippers on his hands as he lay
snoring, so that when he was suddenly aroused he
might rub his face with them.

IX. But he was exposed also to actual dangers.
First in his very consulship, when he was all but
deposed, because he had been somewhat slow
in contracting for and setting up the statues of Nero
and Drusus, the emperor's brothers. Afterwards he
was continually harassed by all kinds of accusations,
brought against him by strangers or even by
the members of his household. Finally, when the
conspiracy of Lepidus and Gaetulicus 6 was detected
and he was sent to Germany as one of the envoys to
congratulate the emperor, he was really in peril of
his life, since Gaius raged and fumed because his
uncle of all men had been sent to him, as if to a child
in need of a guardian. So great, indeed, was his wrath
that some have written that Claudius was even thrown
into the river c clothes and all, just as he had come.
Moreover, from that time on he always gave

VOL. II. C

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

ex eo numqnam non in senatu novissimus consularium
sententiam dixit, ignominiae causa post omnis inter-
rogates. Etiam cognitio falsi testamenti recepta est,
in quo et ipse signaverat. Postremo sestertium
octogies pro introitu novi sacerdotii coactus impen-
dere, ad eas rei familiaris angustias decidit, ut cum
obligatam aerario fidem liberare non posset, in
vacuum lege praediatoria venalis pependerit sub
edicto praefectorum.

X. Per haec ac talia maxima aetatis parte
transacta quinquagesimo anno imperium cepit
quantumvis mirabili casu. Exclusus inter ceteros
ab insidiatoribus Gai, cum quasi secretum eo
desiderante 1 turbam submoverent, in diaetam, cui
nomen est Hermaeum, recesserat; neque multo
post rum ore caedis exterritus prorepsit ad solarium
proximum interque praetenta foribus vela se ab-
*2 didit. Latentem discurrens forte gregarius miles, ani-
madversis pedibus, studio 2 sciscitandi quisnam esset,
adgnovit 3 extractumque et prae metu ad genua sibi
accidentem imperatorem salutavit. • Hinc ad alios

1 desiderante, T ; the other ms8. have desideranti.

2 studio, O ; the other mss. have e studio (ex, T).

• adgnovit] agnovit, T<? ; the other mss. have adcognovit.

° See Calig. xxii. 3.

6 He had borrowed money from the public treasury for his
entrance fee into the new priesthood, and pledged his estates
as security.

c That is, the prefects of the treasury, chosen from the
praetors and ex-praetors (see Aug. xxxvi). Claudius later
restored the charge of the treasury to the quaestors (see chap,
xxiv. 2).

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

his opinion in the senate last among the consulars,
having the question put to him after all the rest by
way of humiliation. A case involving the forgery
of a will was even admitted, in which Claudius
himself was one of the signers. At. last he was
forced to pay eight million sesterces to enter a new
priesthood,® which reduced him to such straitened
circumstances that he was unable to meet the
obligation incurred to the treasury 6 ; whereupon by
edict of the prefects 6 his property was advertised for
sale to meet the deficiency, d in accordance with the
law regulating confiscations.

X. Having spent the greater part of his life
under these and like circumstances, he became
emperor in his fiftieth year by a remarkable freak of *i a.d.
fortune. When the assassins of Gaius shut out the
crowd under pretence that the emperor wished to be
alone, Claudius was ousted with the rest and with-
drew to an apartment called the Hermaeum ; and a
little later, in great terror at the news of the murder,
he stole away to a balcony hard by and hid among the
curtains which hung before the door. As he cowered
there, a common soldier, who was prowling about at
random, saw his feet, and intending to ask who he
was, pulled him out and recognized him ; and when
Claudius fell at his feet in terror, he hailed him
as emperor. Then he took him to the rest of

d in vacuum ; the meaning is uncertain. It perhaps means
that the advertisement was merely a matter of form, though
none the less humiliating.

c 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

commilitones fluctuantis nec quicquam adhuc quam
frementis perduxit. Ab his lecticae impositus et,
quia sui diffugerant, vicissim succollantibus in castra
delatus est tristis ac trepidus, miserante obvia turba

3 quasi ad poenam raperetur insons. Receptus intra
vallum inter excubias militum pernoctavit, aliquanto
minore spe quam fiducia. Nam consules cum senatu
et cohortibus urbanis Forum Capitoliumque occu-
paverant asserturi communem libertatem ; accitusque
et ipse per tr. pi. in curiam ad suadenda quae
viderentur, vi se et necessitate teneri respondit.

4 Verum postero die et senatu segniore in exsequendis
conatibus per taedium ac dissension em di versa
censentium et multitudine, quae circumstabat, unum
rectorem iam et nominatim exposcente, armatos 1 pro
contione iurare in nomen suum passus est promisit-
que singulis quina dena sestertia, primus Caesarum
fid em militis etiam praemio pigneratus.

XI. Imperio stabilito nihil antiquius duxit quam
id biduum, quo de mutando rei p. statu haesitatum
erat, memoriae eximere. Omnium itaque factorum
dictorumque in eo veniam et oblivionem in per-
petuum sanxit ac praestitit, tribunis modo ac
centurionibus paucis e coniuratorum in Gaium
numero interemptis, exempli simul causa et quod

1 armatos, TlQ ; the other m88. have armatus.

° "Hope" of becoming emperor; "confidence" that he
had escaped death.
* By restoring the republic.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

his comrades, who were as yet in a condition of un-
certainty and purposeless rage. These placed him
in a litter, took turns in carrying it, since his
own bearers had made off, and bore him to the
Camp in a state of despair and terror, while the
throng that met him pitied him, as an innocent man
who was being hurried off to execution. Received
within the rampart, he spent the night among the
sentries with much less hope than confidence ; a
for the consuls with the senate and the city cohorts
had taken possession of the Forum and the Capitol,
resolved on maintaining the public liberty. 6 When he
too was summoned to the House by the tribunes of the
commons, to give his advice on the situation, he
sent word that " he was detained by force and com-
pulsion." But the next day, since the senate was
dilatory in putting through its plans because of the
tiresome bickering of those who held divergent views,
while the populace, who stood about the hall, called
for one ruler and expressly named Claudius, he
allowed the armed assembly of the soldiers to swear
allegiance to him, and promised each man fifteen
thousand sesterces ; being the first of the Caesars who
resorted to bribery to secure the fidelity of the troops.

XI. As soon as his power was firmly established,
he considered it of foremost importance to ob-
literate the memory of the two days when men had
thought of changing the form of government.
Accordingly he made a decree that all that had been
done and said during that period should be pardoned
and forever forgotten ; he kept his word too, save
only that a few of the tribunes and centurions who
had conspired against Gaius were put to death, both
to make an example of them and because he knew

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

suam quoque caedem depoposcisse cognoverat.

2 Conversus hinc ad officia pietatis ius iurandum neque
sanctius sibi neque crebrius instituit quam per
Augustum. Aviae Liviae divinos honores et circensi
pompa currum elephantorum Augustino similem
decernenda curavit ; parentibus inferias publicas, et
hoc amplius patri circenses annuos natali die, matri
carpentum, quo per Circum duceretur, et cognomen
Augustae ab viva 1 recusatum. At in fratris memoriam*
per omnem occasionem celebratam comoediam quo-
que Graecam Neapolitano certamine docuit ac de

3 sententia iudicum coronavit. Ne Marcum quidem
Antonium inhonoratum ac sine grata mentione trans-
misit, testatus quondam per edictum, tanto impensius
petere se ut natalem patris Drusi celebrarent, quod
idem esset et avi sui Antoni. Tiberio marmoreum
arcum iuxta Pompei theatrum, decretum quidem
olim a senatu verum omissum, peregit. Gai quoque
etsi acta omnia rescidit, diem tamen necis, quamvis
exordium principatus sui, vetuit inter festos referri.

XII. At in semet augendo parcus atque civilis
praenomine Imperatoris abstinuit, nimios honores
recusavit, sponsalia filiae natalemque geniti nepotis
silentio ac tantum domestica religion e transegit.
Neminem exsulum nisi ex senatus auctoritate restituit.

1 viva, Lipsiua ; avia, fl.

3 At in fratris memoriam, suggested by Ihm ; a fratris
memoria, MGX ; ad fratris memoriam, T.

a For carrying her image ; see CcUig. xv. 1, and cf. Tib. li. 2.
6 Germanicus.

e See Aug. xcviii. 5. The comedy was doubtless written
by Germanicus ; see Calig. iii. 2,
d See Jul, lxxvi. 1,

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

that they had also demanded his own death. Then
turning to the duties of family loyalty, he adopted
as his most sacred and frequent oath " By Augustus."
He had divine honours voted his grandmother Li via
and a chariot drawn by elephants in the procession
at the Circus," like that of Augustus ; also public
offerings to the shades of his parents and in addition
annual games in the Circus on his father's birthday
and for his mother a carriage to bear her image
through the Circus and the surname of Augusta,
which she had declined during her lifetime. In
memory of his brother, 6 whom he took every oppor-
tunity ot honouring, he brought out a Greek comedy
in the contest at Naples and awarded it the
crown in accordance with the decision of the
judges. He did not leave even Mark Antony un-
honoured or without grateful mention, declaring
once in a proclamation that he requested the more
earnestly that the birthday of his father Drusus
be celebrated because it was the same as that of his
grandfather Antony. He completed the marble
arch to Tiberius near Pompey's theatre, which had
been voted some time before by the senate, but left
unfinished. Even in the case of Gaius, while he
annulled all his acts, yet he would not allow the day
of his death to be added to the festivals, although it
was also the beginning of his own reign.

XII. But in adding to his own dignity h e was modest t
and unassuming, refraining from taking the forename
Imperator, d refusing excessive honours, and passing
over the betrothal of his daughter and the birthday of
a grandson in silence and with merely private cere-
monies. He recalled no one from exile except with
the approval of the senate. He obtained from the

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Ut sibi in curiam praefectum praetori tribunosque
militum secum inducere liceret utque rata essent
quae procuratores sui in iudicando statuerent,

2 precario exegit. Ius nundinarum in privata praedia
a consulibus petit. Cognitionibus magistratuum ut
unus e consiliariis frequenter interfuit; eosdem
spectacula edentis surgens et ipse cum cetera turba
voce ac manu veneratus est. Tribunis plebis adeun-
tibus se pro tribunali excusavit, quod propter

3 angustias non posset audire eos nisi stantes. Quare
in brevi spatio tantum amoris favorisque collegit, ut
cum profectum eum Ostiam perisse ex insidiis
nuntiatum esset, magna consternatione populus et
militem quasi proditorem et senatum quasi parricidam
diris exsecrationibus incessere non ante destiterit,
quam unus atque alter et mox plures a magistratibus
in rostra producti salvum et appropinquare con-
firmarent.

XIII. Nec tamen expers insidiarum usque quaque
permansit, sed et a 1 singulis et per factionem et
denique civili bello infestatus est. E plebe homo
nocte media iuxta cubiculum eius cum pugione
deprehensus est ; reperti et equestris ordinis duo in
publico cum dolone ac venatorio cultro praestolantes,
alter ut egressum theatro, alter ut sacrificantem apud
2 Martis aedem adoreretur. Conspiraverunt autem ad
res novas Gallus Asinius et Statilius Corvinus,

1 sed et a, T; etaeta, M; et a, OX.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

members as a favour the privilege of bringing into the
House with him the prefect of the praetorian guard
and the tribunes of the soldiers, and the ratification
of the judicial acts of his agents in the provinces.
He asked the consuls for permission to hold fairs on
his private estates. He often appeared as one of
the advisers at cases tried before the magistrates ;
and when they gave games, he also arose with the
rest of the audience and showed his respect by
acclamations and applause. When the tribunes of
the commons appeared before him as he sat upon
the tribunal, he apologised to them because for lack
of room he could not hear them unless they stood

By such conduct he won so much love and devotion
in a short time, that when it was reported that he
had been waylaid and killed on a journey to Ostia,
the people were horror stricken and with dreadful
execrations continued to assail the soldiers as traitors,
and the senate as murderers, until finally one or two
men, and later several, were brought forward upon
the rostra by the magistrates and assured the people
that Claudius was safe and on his way to the city.

XIII. Yet he did not remain throughout without
experience of treachery, but he was attacked by
individuals, by a conspiracy, and finally by a civil
war. A man of the commons was caught near his
bed-chamber in the middle of the night, dagger in
hand; and two members of the equestrian order
were found lying in wait for him in public places,
one ready to attack him with a sword-cane as he
came out of the theatre, the other with a hunting
knife as he was sacrificing in the temple of Mars.
Asinius Gallus and Statilius Corvinus, grandsons

up.

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

Pollionis ac Messalae oratorum nepotes, assumptis
compluribus libertis ipsius atque servis. Bellum
civile movit Furius Camillus Scribonianus Delmatiae
legatus ; verum intra quintum diem oppressus est
legionibus, quae sacramentum mutaverant, in
paenitentiam religione conversis, postquam denun-
tiato ad novum imperatorem itinere casu quodam ac
divinitus neque aquila ornari neque signa convelli
moverique potuerunt.

XIV. Consulatus super pristinum quattuor gessit ;
ex quibus duos primos iunctim, sequentis per inter-
vallum quarto quemque anno, semenstrem novissimum,
bimenstris ceteros, tertium autem novo circa princi-
pem exemplo in locum demortui suffectus. Ius et
consul et extra honorem laboriosissime dixit, etiam
suis suorumque diebus sollemnibus, nonnumquam
festis quoque antiquitus et religiosis. Nec semper
praescripta legum secutus duritiam lenitatemve
multarum ex bono et aequo, perinde ut adficeretur,
moderatus est ; nam et iis, qui apud privatos iudices
plus petendo formula excidissent, restituit actiones
et in maiore fraude convictos legitimam poenam
supergressus ad bestias condemnavit.

XV. In cognoscendo autem ac decernendo mira
varietate animi fuit, modo circumspectus et sagax,
interdum inconsultus ac praeceps, nonnumquam
friyolus amentique similis. Cum decurias rerum

a With garlands and perfumes ; cf. note on Tib. xlviii. 2.
b See note on Jul. lxii. It was considered a bad omen if
it was difficult to pull the standards from the ground,
Before his own tribunal.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

of the orators Pollio and Messala, conspired to
overthrow him, aided by a number of his own
freedmen and slaves. The civil war was set on
foot by Furius Camillus Scribonianus, governor of
Dalmatia; but his rebellion was put down within
five days, since the legions which had changed their
allegiance were turned from their purpose by super-
stitious fear ; for when the order was given to march
to their new commander, by some providential chance
the eagles could not be adorned a nor the standards
pulled up and moved. 6

XIV. He held four consulships in addition to his 42, 43,
original one. Of these the first two were in successive 4 J;^ 1
years, while the other two followed at intervals of
four years each, the last for six months, the others

for two ; and in his third he was substituted for one
of the consuls who had died, a thing which was
without precedent in the case of an emperor. He
administered justice most conscientiously both as
consul and when out of office, even on his own
anniversaries and those of his family, and sometimes
even on festivals of ancient date and days of ill-
omen. He did not always follow the letter of the
laws, but modified their severity or lenity in many
cases according to his own notions of equity and
justice ; for he allowed a new trial to those who had
lost their cases before private judges by demanding
more than the law prescribed, while, overstepping the
lawful penalty, he condemned to the wild beasts those
who were convicted of especially heinous crimes.

XV. But in hearing and deciding cases c he showed
strange inconsistency of temper, for he was now care-
ful and shrewd, sometimes hasty and inconsiderate,
occasionally silly and like a crazy man. In revising

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

actu expungeret, eum, qui dissimulate vacatione
quam beneficio liberorum habebat responderat,
ut cupidum iudicandi dimisit ; alium interpellatum
ab adversariis de propria lite negantemque cogni-
tionis rem sed ordinarii iuris esse, agere causam
confestim apud se coegit, proprio negotio documen-
tum daturum, quam aequus iudex in alieno negotio

2 futurus esset. Feminam non agnoscentem filium
suum dubia utrimque argumentorum fide ad con-
fessionem compulit indicto matrimonio iuvenis.
Absentibus secundum praesentes facillime dabat,
nullo dilectu culpane quis an 1 aliqua necessitate
cessasset. Proclamante quodam praecidendas fal-
sario manus, carnificem statim acciri cum machaera
mensaque lanionia flagitavit. Peregrinitatis reum
orta inter advocatos levi contentione, togatumne an
palliatum dicere causam oporteret, quasi aequitatem
integram ostentans, mutare habitum saepius et prout

3 accusaretur defendereturve, iussit. De quodam
etiam negotio ita ex tabella pronuntiasse creditur,
secundum eos se sentire, qui vera proposuissent.
Propter quae usque eo eviluit, ut passim ac propalam
contemptui esset. Excusans quidam testem e

a More literally "the decuries for court duty," to dis-
tinguish them from the decuries of knights, scribes, etc.

b That is, he enjoyed the privileges of the ius trium
liberorum, one of which was freedom from jury duty.

• Cf. Dio, 60. 28.

* Only a Roman citizen had the right to wear the toga.

1 an, Stephanu8 ; in, O.

the deified Claudius

the lists of the divisions of jurors a he disqualified
a man who had presented himself without mentioning
that he was immune because of the number of his
children, 6 on the ground that he had a passion for
jury-duty. Another, who was challenged by his oppo-
nents about a suit of his own, said that it did not come
before Caesars tribunal, but the ordinary courts;
whereupon Claudius compelled him at once to bring
the case before him, saying that the man would
show in a case affecting his own interests how just
a juror he would be in the affairs of others. When
a woman refused to recognise her son, and the
evidence on both sides was conflicting, he forced her
to admit the truth by ordering her to marry the
young man. Whenever one party to a suit was
absent, he was prone to decide in favour of the one
who was present, without considering whether his
opponent had failed to appear through his own fault
or from a necessary cause. 6 On a man's being con-
victed of forgery, some one cried out that his hands
ought to be cut off; whereupon Claudius insisted
that an executioner be summoned at once with knife
and block. In a case involving citizenship a fruitless
dispute arose among the advocates as to whether the
defendant ought to make his appearance in the
toga d or in a Greek mantle, and the emperor, with
the idea of showing absolute impartiality, made him
change his garb several times, according as he was
accused or defended. In one case he is credited
with having rendered the following decision, which
he had actually written out beforehand : " I decide
in favour of those who have told the truth." By
such acts as these he so discredited himself that he
was held in general and open contempt. One man

the Lives of the caesars, book v

provincia ab eo vocatum negavit praesto esse posse
dissimulata diu causa ; ac post longas demum
interrogationes : "Mortuus est," inquit, "puto,
licuit." Alius gratias agens quod reum defendi
pateretur, adiecit : "Et tamen fieri solet." Illud
quoque a maioribus natu audiebam, adeo causidicos
patientia eius solitos abuti, ut discedentem e
tribunali non solum voce revocarent, sed et lacinia
togae retenta, interdum pede apprehenso detinerent.
4 Ac ne cui haec mira sint, litigatori Graeculo vox in
altercatione excidit : Kcu <rv yipwv €t kol /xa>pog.
Equitem quidem Romanum obscaenitatis in feminas
reum, sed falso et ab impotentibus inimicis conficto
crimine, satis constat, cum scorta meritoria citari
adversus se et audiri pro testimonio videret, graphium
et libellos, quos tenebat in manu, ita cum magna
stultitiae et saevitiae exprobratione iecisse in faciem
eius, ut genam non leviter perstrinxerit.

XVI. Gessit et censuram intermissam diu post
PLincum Paulumque censores, sed hanc quoque
inaequabiliter varioque et animo et eventu. Recog-
nitione equitum iuvenem probri plenum, sed quern
pater probatissimum sibi affirmabat, sine ignominia
dimisit, habere dicens censorem suum ; alium
corruptelis adulteriisque famosum nihil amplius

• On these see A ug. xxxix.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

in making excuses for a witness that the emperor
had summoned from one of the provinces, said that
he could not appear, but for a long time would give
no reason ; at last, after a long series of questions, he
said : " He's dead ; I think the excuse is a lawful one."
Another in thanking the emperor for allowing him
to defend his client added "After all, it is usual."
I myself used to hear older men say that the
pleaders took such advantage of his good-nature,
that they would not only call him back when he
left the tribunal, but would catch hold of the fringe
of his robe, and sometimes of his foot, and thus detain
him. To prevent any surprise at this, I may add that a
common Greek pettifogger let slip this remark in a
hot debate : " You are both an old man and a fool."
All the world knows that a Roman knight who was
tried for improper conduct towards women, but on a
false charge trumped up by unscrupulous enemies,
seeing common strumpets called as witnesses against
him and their testimony admitted, hurled the stylus
and tablets which he held in his hand into the
emperor's face with such force as to cut his cheek
badly, at the same time loudly reviling his cruelty
and stupidity.

XVI. He also assumed the censorship, which had 48
long been discontinued, ever since the term of
Plancus and Paulus, but in this office too he was 22
variable, and both his theory and his practice were
inconsistent. In his review of the knights he
let off a young man of evil character, whose father
said that he was perfectly satisfied with him, without
any public censure, a saying " He has a censor of his
own." Another who was notorious for corruption
and adultery he merely admonished to be more

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

quam monuit, ut aut parcius aetatulae indulgeret
aut certe cautius ; addiditque : " Quare enim ego scio,
quam amicam habeas ? " Et cum orantibus familiari-
bus dempsisset cuidam appositam notam : " Litura

2 tamen," inquit, "exstet." Splendidum virum Grae-
ciaeque provinciae principem, verum Latini sermonis
ignarum, non modo albo iudicum erasit, sed in
peregrinitatem redegit. Nec quemquam nisi sua
voce, utcumque quis posset, ac sine patrono rationem
vitae passus est reddere. Notavitque multos, et
quosdam inopinantis et ex causa novi generis, quod
se inscio ac sine commeatu Italia excessissent ; quen-
dam vero et quod comes regis in provincia fuisset,
referens maiorum temporibus Rabirio Postumo
Ptolemaeum Alexandriam crediti servandi causa
secuto crimen maiestatis apud iudices motum.

3 Plures notare conatus, magna inquisitorum negle-
gentia sed suo maiore dedecore, innoxios fere
repperit, quibuscumque caelibatum aut orbitatem
aut egestatem obiceret, maritos, patres, opulentos se
probantibus ; eo quidem, qui sibimet vim ferro in-
tulisse arguebatur, inlaesum corpus veste deposita

4 ostentante. Fuerunt et ilia in censura eius notabilia,
quod essedum argenteum sumptuose fabricatum ac
venale ad Sigillaria redimi concidique coram impera-
vit ; quodque uno die XX edicta proposuit, inter
quae duo, quorum altero admonebat, ut uberi
vinearum proventu bene dolia picarentur; altero,

° By affixing the nota, or mark of disgrace, to their names
on the census -list.
6 Referring to the street or quarter ; see note on chap. v.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

restrained in his indulgence, or at any rate more
circumspect, adding, " For why should I know what
mistress you keep ? " When he had removed the
mark of censure affixed to one man's name, yielding
to the entreaties of the latter's friends, he said:
" But let the erasure be seen." He not only struck
from the list of jurors a man of high birth, a leading
citizen of the province of Greece, because he did not
know Latin, but even deprived him of the rights of
citizenship ; and he would not allow anyone to
render an account of his life save in his own words,
as well as he could, without the help of an advo-
cate. And he degraded a many, some contrary to their
expectation and on the novel charge that they had
left Italy without consulting him and obtaining leave
of absence ; one man merely because he had been
companion to a king in his province, citing the case
of Rabirius Postumus, who in bygone days had been
tried for treason because he had followed Ptolemy to
Alexandria, to recover a loan. When he attempted
to degrade still more, he found them in most cases
blameless ; for owing to the great carelessness of his
agents, but to his own greater shame, those whom he
accused of celibacy, childlessness, or lack of means
proved that they were married, or fathers, or well-
to-do. In fact, one man, who was charged with
having stabbed himself, stripped off his clothing and
showed a body without a scar. Other noteworthy
acts of his censorship were the following : he had a
silver chariot of costly workmanship, which was
offered for sale in the Sigillaria, 6 bought and cut
to pieces in his presence ; in one single day he made
twenty proclamations, including these two : " As the
yield of the vineyards is bountiful, the wine jars

VOL. II. p

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

nihil aeque facere ad viperae morsum quam taxi
arboris sucum.

XVII. Expeditionem unam omnino suscepit
eamque modicam. Cum decretis sibi a senatu
ornamentis triumphalibus leviorem maiestati prin-
cipali 1 titulum arbitraretur velletque iusti triumphi
decus, unde adquireret Britanniam potissimum elegit,
neque temptatam ulli post Divum Iulium et tunc

2 tumultuantem ob non redditos transfugas. Hue
cum ab Ostia navigaret, vehementi circio bis paene
demersus est, prope Liguriam iuxtaque Stoechadas 2
insulas. Quare a Massilia Gesoriacum usque
pedestri itinere confecto inde transmisit ac sine ullo
proelio aut sanguine intra paucissimos dies parte
insulae in deditionem recepta, sexto quam profectus
erat mense Romam rediit triumphavitque maximo

3 apparatu. Ad cuius spectaculum commeare in
urbem non solum praesidibus provinciarum permisit,
verum etiam exsulibus quibusdam ; atque inter
hostilia spolia navalem coronam fastigio Palatinae
domus iuxta civicam fixit, traiecti et quasi domiti
Oceani insigne. Currum eius Messalina uxor car-
pento secuta est ; secuti et triumphalia ornamenta
eodem bello adepti, sed ceteri pedibus et in prae-
texta, M. 3 Crassus Frugi equo phalerato et in veste
palmata, quod eum honorem iteraverat.

XVIII. Urbis annonaeque curam sollicitissime

1 principali, ; principalem, fl.

2 Stoechadas, ; Stochadas, CI.

3 praetexta M., O; practcxtam, M; pretexta, X; eodem
. . . palmata, omitted by T.

a Suetonius is vague. Dio, 60. 19, says that one Bericus,
who had been expelled from the island during a revolution.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

should be well pitched" ; and "Nothing is so effective
a cure for snake-bite as the juice of the yew tree."

XVII. He made but one campaign and that of
little importance. When the senate voted him the
triumphal regalia, thinking the honour beneath the
imperial dignity and desiring the glory of a legitimate
triumph, he chose Britain as the best place for gaining
it, a land that had been attempted by no one since
the Deified Julius and was just at that time in a state
of rebellion because of the refusal to return certain
deserters. a On the voyage thither from Ostia he was
nearly cast away twice in furious north -westers, off
Liguria and near the Stoechades islands. Therefore
he made the journey from Massilia all the way to
Gesoriacum by land, crossed from there, and without

any battle or bloodshed received the submission of 44 a.d.
a part of the island, returned to Rome within six
months after leaving the city, and celebrated a
triumph of great splendour. To witness the sight
he allowed not only the governors of the provinces
to come to Rome, but even some of the exiles ; and
among the tokens of his victory he set «a naval crown
on the gable of the Palace beside the «ivic crown, as
a sign that he had crossed and, as it were, subdued
the Ocean. His wife Messalina followed his chariot
in a carriage, as did also those who had won the
triumphal regalia in the same war ; the rest marched
on foot in purple-bordered togas, except Marcus
Crassus Frugi, who rode a caparisoned horse and
wore a tunic embroidered with palms, because he
was receiving the honour for the second time.

XVIII. He always gave scrupulous attention to

persuaded Claudius to send troops there. Possibly the refer-
ence is to the deserters mentioned in GcUig. xliv.

D 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

semper egit. Cum Aemiliana pertinacius arderent,
in diribitorio duabus noctibus mansit ac deficiente
militum ac familiarum turba auxilio plebem per
magistrates ex omnibus vicis convocavit ac positis
ante se cum pecunia fiscis ad subveniendum hortatus
est, repraesentans pro opera dignam cuique merce-
2 dem. Artiore autem annona ob assiduas sterilitates
detentus quondam medio Foro a turba conviciisque
et simul fragminibus panis ita infestatus, ut aegre
nec nisi postico evadere in Palatium valuerit, nihil
non excogitavit 1 ad invehendos etiam tempore
hiberno commeatus. Nam et negotiatoribus certa
lucra proposuit suscepto in se damno, si cui quid
per tempestates accidisset, et naves mercaturae
causa fabricantibus magna commoda constituit pro
XIX. condicione cuiusque : civi 2 vacationem legis Papiae
Poppaeae, Latino ius Quiritium, feminis ius IIII
liberorum ; quae constituta hodieque servantur.

XX. Opera magna potius et necessaria 3 quam
multa perfecit, sed vel praecipua : ductum aquarum
a Gaio incohatum, item emissarium Fucini lacus
portumque Ostiensem, quanquam sciret ex iis

1 excogitavit, T<? ; the other mss. have ex eo cogitavit ; ex
eo agitavit, Bentley.

2 civi, Turnebue ; civis, n ; civibus,

8 magna potius et necessaria, suggested by Pirn; magna
potius quam n., mss. The second quam is omitted by n 1 Q.

a A suburb of Rome, lying north of the city, outside of the
Servian wall.

cast in the elections were sorted and counted ; according to
Bio, 55. 8, the largest building ever covered by a single roof.

c Passed in 9a.d., after the failure of Augustus' law tie
maritandis ordinibus ; see Aug. xxxiv.

6 A large building in the

Martius, where the votes

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

the care of the city and the supply of grain. On the
occasion of a stubborn fire in the Aemiliana* he
remained in the Diribitorium 6 for two nights, and
when a body of soldiers and of his own slaves could
not give sufficient help, he summoned the commons
from all parts of the city through the magistrates,
and placing bags full of money before them, urged
them to the rescue, paying each man on the spot a
suitable reward for his services. When there was a
scarcity of grain because of long-continued droughts,
he was once stopped in the middle of the Forum by
a mob and so pelted with abuse and at the same
time with pieces of bread, that he was barely able to
make his escape to the Palace by a back door ; and
after this experience he resorted to every possible
means to bring grain to Rome, even in the winter
season. To the merchants he held out the certainty
of profit by assuming the expense of any loss that
they might suffer from storms, and offered to those
who would build merchant ships large bounties,
XIX. adapted to the condition of each : to a citizen
exemption from the lex Papia Poppaea c ; to a Latin d
the rights of Roman citizenship ; to women the
privileges allowed the mothers of four children.* 5 And
all these provisions are in force to-day.

XX. The public works which he completed were
great and essential rather than numerous ; they were
in particular the following: an aqueduct begun by
Gaius ; also the outlet of Lake Fucinus and the har-
bour at Ostia, although in the case of the last two he

d See note on Aug. xlvii.

• These were numerous and varied ; cf . Dio, 55. 2.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

alteram ab Augusto precantibus assidue Marsis
negatum, alteram a Divo Iulio saepius destinatum ac
propter difficultatem omissum. Claudiae aquae
gelidos et uberes fontes, quorum alteri Caeruleo,
alteri Curtio et Albudigno nomen est, simulque
rivum Anienis novi lapideo opere in urbem
perduxit divisitque in plurimos et ornatissimos lacus.

2 Fucinum adgressus est non minus compendii spe
quam gloriae, cum quidam privato sumptu emissuros
se repromitterent, si sibi siccati agri concederentur.
Per tria autem passuum 1 milia partim effosso 2 monte
partim exciso canalem absolvit aegre et post
undecim annos, quam vis continuis XXX hominum

3 milibus sine intermissione operantibus. Portum
Ostiae exstruxit circumducto dextra sinistraque
brachio et ad introitum profundo iam solo 3 mole
obiecta ; quam quo stabilius fundaret, navem ante
demersit, qua magnus obeliscus ex Aegypto fuerat
advectus, congestisque pilis superposuit altissimam
turrem in exemplum Alexandrini Phari, ut ad
nocturnos ignes cursum navigia dirigerent.

XXI. Congiaria populo saepius distribuit. Specta-
cula quoque complura et magnifica edidit, non usitata
modo ac solitis locis, sed et commenticia et ex
antiquitate repetita, et ubi praeterea nemo ante

1 passus, MOL.

2 effosso, Sg-; exfossa, M ; the other mss. have exfosso
except T, which omits effosso monte partim ; ecfosso, Roth.

s salo, Stephanus.

° This had been brought by Gaius from Heliopolis and set
up in the spina of his circus, near the Vatican hill. It now
stands before the cathedral of St. Peter. The great ship in
which it was transported to Rome from Alexandria is de-
scribed by Pliny, N.H. 16. 201.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

knew that Augustus had refused the former to the
Marsians in spite of their frequent requests, and that
the latter had often been thought of by the Deified
Julius, but given up because of its difficulty. He
brought to the city on stone arches the cool and
abundant founts of the Claudian aqueduct, one of
which is called Caeruleus and the other Curtius and
Albudignus, and at the same time the spring of the
new Anio, distributing them into many beautifully
ornamented pools. He made the attempt on the
Fucine Lake as much in the hope of gain as of glory,
inasmuch as there were some who agreed to drain it
at their own cost, provided the land that was
uncovered be given to them. He finished the
outlet, which was three miles in length, partly
by levelling and partly by tunnelling a mountain,
a work of great difficulty and requiring eleven years,
although he had thirty thousand men at work all the
time without interruption. He constructed the
harbour at Ostia by building curving breakwaters
on the right and left, while before the entrance
he placed a mole in deep water. To give this
mole a firmer foundation, he first sank the ship in
which the great obelisk a had been brought from
Egypt, and then securing it by piles, built upon it
a very lofty tower after the model of the Pharos at
Alexandria, to be lighted at night and guide the
course of ships.

XXI. He very often distributed largesses to the
people. He also gave several splendid shows, not
merely the usual ones in the customary places, but
some of a new kind and some revived from ancient
times, and in places where no one had ever given

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

eura. Ludos dedicationis Pompeiani theatri, quod
ambustum restituerat, e tribunali posito in orchestra
commisit, cum prius apud superiores aedes supplicasset
perque mediam caveam sedentibus ac silentibus

2 cunctis descendisset. Fecit et saeculares, quasi
anticipatos ab Augusto nec legitimo tempori reser-
vatos, quamvis ipse in historiis suis prodat, inter-
missos eos Augustum multo post diligentissime
annorum ratione subducta in ordinem redegisse.
Quare vox praeconis irrisa est invitantis more
sollemni ad ludos, quos nec spectasset quisquam
nec spectaturus esset, cum superessent adhuc qui
spectaverant, et quidam histrionum producti olim
tunc quoque producerentur. Circenses frequenter
etiam in Vaticano commisit, nonnumquam interiecta

3 per quinos missus venatione. Circo vero Maximo
marmoreis carceribus auratisque metis, quae utraque
et tofina ac lignea an tea fuerant, exculto propria
senatoribus constituit loca promiscue spectare solitis ;
ac super quadrigarum certamina Troiae lusum
exhibuit et Africanas, conficiente turma equitum
praetorianorum, ducibus tribunis ipsoque praefecto ;
praeterea Thessalos equites, qui feros tauros per

a Pompey placed the temple of Venus Victrix at the top
of his theatre, so that the seats ot the auditorium formed an
approach to it. There were also shrines of Honour, Virtus
and Felicitas ; see Pliny, N.H. 8. 20. 6 See Aug. xxxi. 4.

Built by Gaius ; see note on chap. xx. 3.

d The carceres were compartments closed by barriers, one
for each chariot. They were probably twelve in number and
were so arranged as to be at an equal distance from the
starting point of the race. When the race began, the barriers
were removed. The metae, , or "goals," were three conical
pillars at each end of the spina, or low wall which ran down
the middle of the arena, about which the chariots had to run
a given number of times, usually seven; see Dom. iv. 3.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

them before. He opened the games at the dedi-
cation of Pompey's theatre, which he had restored
when it was damaged by a fire, from a raised seat
in the orchestra, after first offering sacrifice at the
temples a in the upper part of the auditorium and
coming down through the tiers of seats while
all sat in silence. He also celebrated secular
games/ alleging that they had been given too
early by Augustus and not reserved for the
regular time ; although he himself writes in his own
History that when they had been discontinued for
a long time, Augustus restored them to their proper
place after a very careful calculation of the inter-
vals. Therefore the herald's proclamation was
greeted with laughter, when he invited the people
in the usual formula to games " which no one
had ever seen or would ever see again " ; for
some were still living who had seen them before,
and some actors -who had appeared at the former
performance appeared at that time as well. He
often gave games in the Vatican Circus 6 also, at
times with a beast-baiting between every five races.
But the Great Circus he adorned with barriers of
marble and gilded goals/ whereas before they had
been of tufa and wood, and assigned special
seats to the senators, who had been in the habit
of viewing the games with the rest of the people.
In addition to the chariot races he exhibited the
game called Troy and also panthers, which were
hunted down by a squadron of the praetorian cavalry
under the lead of the tribunes and the prefect
himself; likewise Thessalian horseman, who drive
wild bulls all over the arena, leaping upon them

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

spatia circi agunt insiliuntque defessos et ad terram
cornibus detrahunt.

4 Gladiatoria munera plurifariam 1 ac multiplicia
exhibuit: anniversarium in castris praetorianis sine
venatione apparatuque, iustum atque legitimum in
Saeptis ; ibidem extraordinarium et breve dierum-
que paucorum, quodque appellare coepit " sportulam/'
quia primum daturus edixerat, 8 velut ad subitam

5 condictamque cenulam invitare se populum. Nec
ullo spectaculi genere communior aut remissior erat,
adeo ut oblatos victoribus aureos prolata sinistra
pariter cum vulgo voce digitisque numeraret ac saepe
hortando rogandoque ad hilaritatem homines pro-
vocaret, dominos identidem appellans, immixtis
interdum frigidis et arcessitis iocis; qualis est ut
cum Palumbum postulantibus daturum se promisit,
si captus esset. Illud plane quantumvis salubriter
et in tempore : cum essedario, pro quo quattuor fili
deprecabantur, magno omnium favore indulsisset
rudem, tabulam ilico misit admonens populum,
quanto opere liberos suscipere deberet, quos videret

6 et gladiatori praesidio gratiaeque esse. Edidit et in
Martio campo expugnationem direptionemque oppidi
ad imaginem bellicam et deditionem Britanniae

1 plurifariam, ; plurifaria, fl (multifaria, G).

2 daturus edixerat, Basle ed. of 1533 ; daturum 8e dixerat,
fl (dixerant, T).

° See note on Aug. lxxiv.

6 Instead of keeping it covered with his toga, an un-
dignified performance for an emperor.
c " The Dove," nickname of a gladiator.
d The symbol of discharge ; cf. Hor. Epist. 1. 1. 2»
• See note on Calig. xxxv. 3.

Digitized by

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

when they are tired out and throwing them to the
ground by the horns.

He gave many gladiatorial shows and in many
places : one in yearly celebration of his accession, in
the Praetorian Camp without wild beasts and fine
equipment, and one in the Saepta of the regular and
usual kind ; another in the same place not in
the regular list, short and lasting but a few days, to
which he was the first to apply the name of sportula, a
because before giving it for the first time he made
proclamation that he invited the people " as it were
to an extempore meal, hastily prepared," Now there
was no form of entertainment at which he was more
familiar and free, even thrusting out his left hand, 6
as the commons did, and counting aloud on his
fingers the gold pieces which were paid to the
victors ; and ever and anon he would address the
audience, and invite and urge them to merriment,
calling them "masters" from time to time, and
interspersing feeble and far-fetched jokes. For
example, when they called for Palumbus c he
promised that they should have him, " if he could be
caught." The following, however, was both ex-
ceedingly timely and salutary ; when he had granted
the wooden sword d to an essedarittsf for whose dis-
charge four sons begged, and the act was received
with loud and general applause, he at once cir-
culated a note, pointing out to the people how
greatly they ought to desire children, since they
saw that they brought favour and protection
even to a gladiator. He gave representations in the
Campus Martius of the storming and sacking of
a town in the manner of real warfare, as well as of
the surrender of the kings of the Britons, and

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

regum praeseditque paludatus. Quin et emissurus
Fucinum lacum naumachiam ante commisit. Sed
cum proclamantibus naumachiariis : "Have imperator,
morituri te salutant ! " respondisset : " Aut non/' 1
neque post hanc vocem quasi venia data quisquam
dimicare vellet, diu cunctatus an omnes igni ferroque
absumeret, tandem e sede sua prosiluit ac per
ambitum lacus non sine foeda vacillatione 2 discurrens
partim minando partim adhortando ad pugnam
compulit. Hoc spectaculo classis Sicula et Rhodia
concurrerunt, duodenarum triremium singulae, ex-
ciente 3 bucina Tritone argenteo, qui e medio lacu
per machinam emerserat.

XXII. Quaedam circa caerimonias civilemque et
militarem morem, item circa omnium ordinum statum
domi forisque aut correxit aut exoleta revocavit aut
etiam nova instituit. In cooptandis per collegia
sacerdotibus neminem nisi iuratus nominavit; ob-
servavitque sedulo, ut quotiens terra in urbe movisset,
ferias advocata contione praetor indiceret, utque dira
ave 4 in Capitolio visa obsecratio haberetur, eamque
ipse iure maximi pontificis pro rostris populo praeiret
summotaque operariorum servorumque turba.

XXIII. Rerum actum divisum antea in hibernos
aestivosque menses coniunxit. Iuris dictionem de

1 aut non] avete vos,

2 vacillatione, bacillatione, fl.

3 exciente, liR ; the other mss. have eiciente (eitiente, G).

4 ave, Both (avi, Tumebus) ; aut, MGLP ; aut in urbe
aut, r'O.

a About to die ; one of Claudius's feeble jokes, which the
combatants pretended to understand as meaning that they
need not risk their lives in battle. 6 See chap. xxx. below.

c That those whom he had selected were worthy of the
honour.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

presided clad in a general's cloak. Even when
he was on the point of letting out the water from
Lake Fucinus he gave a sham sea-fight first. But
when the combatants cried out : " Hail, emperor,
they who are about to die salute thee," he replied,
"Or not," a and after that all of them refused to
fight, maintaining that they had been pardoned.
Upon this he hesitated for some time about des-
troying them all with fire and sword, but at last
leaping from his throne and running along the edge
of the lake with his ridiculous tottering gait, 6 he
induced them to fight, partly by threats and partly
by promises. At this performance a Sicilian and a
Rhodian fleet engaged, each numbering twelve
triremes, and the signal was sounded on a horn by a
silver Triton, which was raised from the middle of
the lake by a mechanical device.

XXII. Touching religious ceremonies and civil
and military customs, as well as the condition of all
classes at home and abroad, he corrected various
abuses, revived some old customs or even estab-
lished new ones. In admitting priests into the
various colleges he never named anyone until he
had first taken oath, c and he scrupulously observed
the custom of having the praetor call an assembly
and proclaim a holiday, whenever there was an
earthquake within the city ; as well as that of offer-
ing up a supplication whenever a bird of ill-omen was
seen on the Capitol. This last he himself conducted
in his capacity of chief priest, first reciting the form
of words to the people from the rostra, after all
mechanics and slaves had been ordered to withdraw.

XXIII. The season for holding court, formerly
divided into a winter and a summer term, he made

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fidei commissis quotannis et tantum in urbe delegari
magistratibus solitam in perpetuum atque etiam per
provincias potestatibus demandavit. Capiti Papiae
Poppaeae legis a Tiberio Caesare, quasi sexagenarii
2 generare non possent, addito obrogavit. Sanxit ut
pupillis extra ordinem tutores a consulibus darentur,
utque ii, quibus a magistratibus provinciae inter-
dicerentur, urbe quoque et Italia summoverentur.
Ipse quosdam novo exemplo relegavit, ut ultra
lapidem tertium vetaret egredi ab urbe.

De maiore negotio acturus in curia medius inter
consulum sellas tribuniciove 1 subsellio sedebat.
Commeatus a senatu peti solitos benefici sui fecit.

XXIV. Ornamenta consularia etiam procuratoribus
ducenariis indulsit. Senatoriam dignitatem recus-
antibus equestrem quoque ademit. Latum clavum,
quamvis initio affirmasset non lecturum se senatorem
nisi civis R. abnepotem, etiam libertini filio tribuit,
sed sub condicione si prius ab equite R. adoptatus
esset ; ac sic quoque reprehensionem verens, et
Appium Caecum censorem, generis sui proauctorem,

1 tribuniciove, Mommsen ; sella vel tribunicio, SmUda ;
tribunicio, msa.

° See Gidba xiv. 3, from which it appears that Claudius
made the summer and autumn seasons continuous, and did
away with the winter term.

6 The rdegatio was a milder form of exile, without loss of
citizenship or confiscation of property, but in this case the
offenders were not banished, but confined to the city and its
immediate vicinity.

c The procuratores were the emperor's agents, who per-
formed various administrative duties throughout the empire.
They were members of the equestrian order and were ranked
on the basis of their annual stipend as trecenarii, ducenarii,

4 6

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

continuous. Jurisdiction in cases of trust, which it
had been usual to assign each year and only to
magistrates in the city, he delegated for all time and
extended to the governors of the provinces. He
annulled a clause added to the lex Papia Poppaea by
Tiberius, implying that men of sixty could not beget
children. He made a law that guardians might be
appointed for orphans by the consuls, contrary to
the usual procedure, and that those who were ban-
ished from a province by its magistrates should also
be debarred from the city and from Italy. He
himself imposed upon some a new kind of punish-
ment, 6 by forbidding them to go more than three
miles outside of the city.

When about to conduct business of special impor-
tance in the House, he took his seat between the
two consuls or on the tribunes' bench. He reserved
to himself the granting of permission to travel,
which had formerly been requested of the senate.

XXIV. He gave the consular regalia even to the
second grade of stewards. 6 If any refused senatorial
rank, d he took from them that of knight also.
Though he had declared at the beginning of his
reign that he would choose no one as a senator
who did not have a Roman citizen for a great-
great-grandfather, he gave the broad stripe even
to a freedman's son, but only on condition that
he should first be adopted by a Roman knight.
Even then, fearful of criticism, he declared that
the censor Appius Caecus, the ancient founder of his

centenarii, and sexagenarii, receiving respectively 300,000,
200,000, 100,000, and 60,000 sesterces.

d A common reason for this was the desire to engage in
business, which senators were not allowed to do.

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libertinorum filios in senatum adlegisse docuit, ignarus
temporibus Appi et deinceps aliquamdiu libertinos
dictos non ipsos, qui manu emitterentur, sed ingenuos

2 ex his procreatos. Collegio quaestorum pro stratura
viarum gladiatorium munus iniunxit detractaque
Ostiensi et Gallica provincia curam aerari Saturni
reddidit, quam medio tempore praetores ant, uti nunc,
praetura functi sustinuerant.

3 Triumphalia ornamenta Silano, filiae suae sponso,
nondum puberi dedit, maioribus vero natu tarn multis
tamque facile, ut epistula communi 1 legionum nomine
exstiterit petentium, ut legatis consularibus simul cum
exercitu et triumphalia darentur, ne causam belli
quoquo modo quaererent. Aulo Plautio etiam
ovationem decrevit ingressoque urbem obviam pro-
gressus et in Capitolium eunti et inde rursus rever-
tenti latus texit. Gabinio Secundo Cauchis gente
Germanica superatis cognomen Cauchi 2 usurpare
concessit.

XXV. Equestris militias ita ordinavit, ut post
cohortem alam, post alam tribunatum legionis
daret ; stipendiaque instituit et imaginariae militiae
genus, quod vocatur " supra numeram," quoabsentes
et titulo tenus fungerentur. Milites domus sena-
torias salutandi causa ingredi etiam patrum decreto
prohibuit. Libertinos, qui se pro equitibus R.

1 communi, Basle ed. of 1533 ?) ; communis, fi.

2 Cauchi, suggested by Ihm ; Cauchius, mss.

a The state treasury, located in the temple of Saturn in
the Forum ; cf. Aug. xxxvi.

6 According to Tac, Ann. 11. 20, this was done by the
legions in Germany.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

family, had chosen the sons of freedmen into the
senate; but he did not know that in the days of
Appius and for some time afterwards the term
libertini designated, not those who were themselves
manumitted, but their freeborn sons. He obliged
the college of quaestors to give a gladiatorial show
in place of paving the roads; then depriving
them of their official duties at Ostia and in Gaul,
he restored to them the charge of the* treasury
of Saturn/* which had in the meantime been ad-
ministered by praetors, or by ex-praetors, as in our
time.

He gave the triumphal regalia to Silanus, his
daughter's affianced husband, who was still a boy,
and conferred them on older men so often and so
readily, that a joint petition was circulated in the
name of the legions, 6 praying that those emblems
be given the consular governors at the same time
with their armies, to prevent their seeking all sorts
of pretexts for war. To Aulus Plautius he also
granted an ovation, going out to meet him when he
entered the city, and walking on his left as he went
to the Capitol and returned again. He allowed
Gabinius Secundus to assume the surname of
Cauchius because of his conquest of the Cauchi,
a German nation.

XXV. He rearranged the military career of the
knights, assigning a division of cavalry after a cohort,
and next the tribunate of a legion. He also instituted
a series of military positions and a kind of fictitious
service, which is called "supernumerary " and could be
performed in absentia and in name only. He even had
the Fathers pass a decree forbidding soldiers to enter
the houses of senators to pay their respects. He con-

vol. n. e

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

agerent, publicavit, ingratos et de quibus patroni
quererentur revocavit in servitutem advocatisque
eorum negavit se adversus libertos ipsorum ius

2 dicturum. Cum quidam aegra et adfecta mancipia
in insulam Aesculapi taedio medendi exponerent,
omnes qui exponerentur liberos esse sanxit, nec
redire in dicionem domini, si convaluissent ; quod si
quis necare quern mallet quam exponere, caedis
crimine teneri. Viatores ne per Italiae oppida nisi
aut pedibus aut sella aut lectica transirent, monuit
edicto. Puteolis et Ostiae singulas cohortes ad
arcendos incendiorum casus collocavit.

3 Peregrinae condicionis homines vetuit usurpare
Romana nomina dum taxat gentilicia. Civitatem R.
usurpantes in campo Esquilino 1 securi percussit.
Provincias Achaiam et Macedonian^ quas Tiberius
ad curam suam transtulerat, senatui reddidit. Lyciis
ob exitiabiles inter se discordias libertatem ad emit,
Rhodiis ob paenitentiam veterum delictorum reddidit.
Iliensibus quasi Romanae gentis auctoribus tributa
in perpetuum remisit recitata vetere epistula Graeca

1 Esquilino, GQT ; the other mss. have Esquilinio.

° That is, if their own freedmen proved ungrateful and
they wished to bring suit against them.

6 In the Tiber at Rome, so-called from its temple of
Aesculapius.

c That is, the gentile names such as Claudius, Cornelius,
etc. ; apparently forenames (Gaius, Lucius, and the like) and
surnames (Lentulus, Nasica) might be assumed, although a
foreigner often retained his native name as a surname.

* The part of the Esquiline hill on both sides of the
Servian wall ; occupied in part by the Gardens of Maecenas ;
see Hor. Serm. 1. 8. The place of execution seems to have
been outside of the Porta Esquilina.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

fiscated the property of those freedmen who passed
as Roman knights, and reduced to slavery again such
as were ungrateful and a cause of complaint to their
patrons, declaring to their advocates that he would
not entertain a suit against their own freedmen. a
When certain men were exposing their sick and
worn out slaves on the Island of Aesculapius 5
because of the trouble of treating them, Claudius
decreed that all such slaves were free, and that if
they recovered, they should not return to the control
of their master; but if anyone preferred to kill
such a slave rather than to abandon him, he was
liable to the charge of murder. He provided by an
edict that travellers should not pass through the
towns of Italy except on foot, or in a chair or litter.
He stationed a cohort at Puteoli and one at Ostia,
to guard against the danger of fires.

He forbade men of foreign birth to use the Roman
names so far as those of the clans c were concerned.
Those who usurped the privileges of Roman
citizenship he executed in the Esquiline fields
He restored to the senate the provinces of Achaia
and Macedonia, which Tiberius had taken into his
own charge. He deprived the Lycians of their
independence because of deadly intestine feuds, and
restored theirs to the Rhodians, since they had given
up their former faults. He allowed the people of
Ilium perpetual exemption from tribute, on the
ground that they were the founders of the Roman race,
reading an ancient letter of the senate and people of

e 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

senatus populique R. Seleuco regi amicitiam et
societatem ita demum pollicentis, si consanguineos
suos Ilienses ab omni onere immunes praestitisset.

4 Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis
Roma expulit. Germanorum legatis in orchestra
sedere permisit, simplicitate eorum et fiducia
commotus, quod in popularia deduct^ cum animad-
vertissent Parthos et Armenios sedentis in senatu,
ad eadem loca sponte transierant, nihilo deteriorem

5 virtutem aut condicionem suam praedicantes. Drui-
darum 1 religionem apud Gallos dirae immanitatis
et tantum civibus sub Augusto interdictam penitus
abolevit; contra sacra Eleusinia etiam transferre
ex Attica Romam conatus est, templumque in
Sicilia Veneris Erycinae vetustate conlapsum ut ex
aerario pop. R. reficeretur, auctor fuit. Cum regibus
foedus in Foro icit 2 porca caesa ac vetere fetialium
praefatione adhibita. Sed et haec et cetera to-
tumque adeo ex parte magna principatum non tam
suo quam uxorum libertorumque arbitrio adminis-
travit, talis ubique plerumque, qualem esse eum aut
expediret illis aut liberet.

XXVI. Sponsas admodum adulescens duas habuit :
Aemiliam Lepidam Augusti proneptem, item Liviam

1 Druidarum, iVf ; Driadarum, CI,

2 icit, Sabellicus ; iecit, fl.

a Another form of Christus ; see Tert. Apol. 3 (at the end).
It is uncertain whether Suetonius is guilty of an error in
chronology or is referring to some Jew of that name. The
former seems probable because of the absence of quodam.
Tacitus, Ann. 15. 44, uses the correct form, Christus, and
states that He was executed in the reign of Tiberius.

6 The gender is not significant ; cf. Livy 1. 24 ; Varr.
R.R. 2. 49. • See Livy 1. 24.

rdb^oJUe

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

Rome written in Greek to king Seleucus,in which they
promised him their friendship and alliance only on
condition that he should keep their kinsfolk of Ilium
free from every burden. Since the Jews constantly
made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,* he
expelled them from Rome. He allowed the envoys
of the Germans to sit in the orchestra, led by their
naive self-confidence ; for when they had been taken
to the seats occupied by the common people and
saw the Parthian and Armenian envoys sitting with
the senate, they moved of their own accord to the
same part of the theatre, protesting that their merits
and rank were no whit inferior. He utterly
abolished the cruel and inhuman religion of the
Druids among the Gauls, which under Augustus had
merely been prohibited to Roman citizens ; on the
other hand he even attempted to transfer the
Eleusinian rites from Attica to Rome, and had the
temple of Venus Erycina in Sicily, which had fallen
to ruin through age, restored at the expense of the
treasury of the Roman people. He struck his
treaties with foreign princes in the Forum, sacrificing
a pig 6 and reciting the ancient formula of the fetial
priests.* But these and other acts, and in fact
almost the whole conduct of his reign, were dictated
not so much by his own judgment as that of his
wives and freedmen, since he nearly always acted in
accordance with their interests and desires.

XXVI. He was betrothed twice at an early age :
to Aemilia Lepida, great-granddaughter of Augustus,

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Medullinam, cui et cognomen Camillae erat, e genere
antiquo dictatoris Camilli. Priorem, quod parentes
eius Augustum offenderant, virginemadhuc repudiavit,
posteriorem ipso die, qui erat nuptiis destinatus, ex

2 valitudine amisit. Uxores deinde duxit Plautiam
Urgulanillam 1 triumphali et mox Aeliam Paetinam
consulari patre. Cum utraque divortium fecit, sed
cum Paetina ex levibus offensis, cum Urgulanilla 2 ob
libidinum probra et homicidii suspicionem. Post has
Valeriam Messalinam, Barbati Messalae consobrini
sui filiam, in matrimonium accepit. Quam cum
comperisset super cetera flagitia atque dedecora C.
Silio etiam nupsisse dote inter auspices consignata,
supplicio adfecit confirmavitque pro contione apud
praetorianos, quatenus sibi matrimonia male cederent,
permansurum se in caelibatu, ac nisi permansisset,

3 non recusaturum confodi manibus ipsonim. Nec
durare valuit quin de condicionibus continuo trac-
taret, etiam de Paetinae, quam olim exegerat, deque
Lolliae Paulinae, quae C. Caesari nupta fuerat.

' Verum inlecebris Agrippinae, Germanici fratris
sui filiae, per ius osculi et blanditiarum occasiones
pellectus in amorem, subornavit proximo senatu qui
censerent, cogendum se ad ducendum earn uxorem,
quasi rei p. maxime interesset, dandamque ceteris
veniam talium coniugiorum, quae ad id tempus
incesta habebantur. Ac vix uno interposito die

1 Urgulanilla, M ; the other mss. have Ergulanilla (ere-,
OnQ).

a Ergulanilla, fl (ere-, OnQ).

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

and to Livia Medullina, who also had the surname of
Camilla and was descended from the ancient family
of Camillus the dictator. He put away the former
before their marriage, because her parents had
offended Augustus ; the latter was taken ill and died
on the very day which had been set for the wedding.
He then married Plautia Urgulanilla, whose father
had been honoured with a triumph, and later Aelia
Paetina, daughter of an ex-consul. He divorced
both these, Paetina for trivial offences, but Urgulanilla
because of scandalous lewdness and the suspicion of
murder. Then he married Valeria Messalina, daughter
of his cousin Messala Barbatus. But when he learned
that besides other shameful and wicked deeds she
had actually married Gaius Silius, and that a formal
contract had been signed in the presence of
witnesses, he put her to death and declared before
the assembled praetorian guard that inasmuch as his
marriages did not turn out well, he would remain a
widower, and if he did not keep his word, he would
not refuse death at their hands. Yet he could not
refrain from at once planning another match, even
with Paetina, whom he had formerly discarded, and
with Lollia Paulina, who had been the wife of Gaius
Caesar. But his affections were ensnared by the wiles
of Agrippina, daughter of his brother Germanicus,
aided by the right of exchanging kisses and the
opportunities for endearments offered by their
relationship ; and at the next meeting of the senate
he induced some of the members to propose that he
be compelled to marry Agrippina, on the ground that
it was for the interest of the State ; also that others
be allowed to contract similar marriages, which up to
that time had been regarded as incestuous. And he

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

confecit nuptias, non repertis qui sequerentur
exemplum, excepto libertino quodam et altero
primipilari, cuius nuptiarum officium et ipse cum
Agrippina celebravit.

XXVII. Liberos ex tribus uxoribus tulit : ex
Urgulanilla 1 Drusum et Claudiam, ex Paetina
Antoniam, ex Messalina Octaviam et quern primo
Germanicum, mox Britannicum cognominavit. Dru-
sum prope iam 2 puberem amisit piro per lusum in
sublime iactato et hiatu oris excepto strangulatum,
cum ei ante paucos dies filiam Seiani despondisset.
Quo magis miror fuisse qui traderent fraude a
Seiano necatum. Claudiam ex liberto suo Botere
conceptam, quamvis ante quintum mensem divortii
natam alique coeptam, exponi tamen ad matris
2 ianuam et nudam iussit abici. Antoniam Cn. Pom-
peio Magno, deinde Fausto Sullae, nobilissimis
iuvenibus, Octaviam Neroni privigno suo collocavit,
Silano ante desponsam. Britannicum vicesimo im-
perii die inque secundo consulatu, natum sibi parvu-
lum etiam turn, et militi pro contione manibus suis
gestans et plebi per spectacula gremio aut ante se
retinens assidue commendabat faustisque ominibus 3
cum adclamantium turba prosequebatur. E generis
Neronem adoptavit, Pompeium atque Silanum non
recusavit modo, sed et interemit.

1 Erculanilla, n (here-, L ; erg-, ST),
a prope iam, Bentley ; prope turn, Bticheler ; Pompeis
impuberem, Lipsius ; pompeium, mss.
* ominibus, 5- ; omnibus, CL

a Of Claudius from Urgulanilla.

6 Either Suetonius is in error here, or the text is corrupt,
since Claudius' second consulship did not begin until 42, and
he began to reign Jan. 25, 41.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

married her with hardly a single day's delay; but
none were found to follow his example save a
freedman and a chief centurion, whose marriage
ceremony he himself attended with Agrippina.

XXVII. He had children by three of his wives :
by Urgulanilla, Drusus, and Claudia; by Paetina,
Antonia; by Messalina, Octavia and a son, at first
called Germanicus and later Britannicus. He lost
Drusus just before he came to manhood, for he was
strangled by a pear which he had thrown in the air in
play and caught in his open mouth. A few days before
this he had betrothed him to the daughter of Sejanus,
which makes me wonder all the more that some
say that Drusus was treacherously slain by Sejanus.
Claudia was the offspring of his freedman Boter, and
although she was born within five months after the 20 a.jx.
divorce a and he had begun to rear her, yet he ordered
her to be cast out naked at her mothers door and
disowned. He gave Antonia in marriage to Gnaeus
Pompeius Magnus, and later to Faustus Sulla, both
young men of high birth, and Octavia to his stepson
Nero, after she had previously been betrothed to
Silanus. Britannicus was born on the twenty-second
day of his reign and in his second consulship. 6 When 42 a.d.
he was still very small, Claudius would often take
him in his arms and commend him to the assembled
soldiers, and to the people at the games, holding him
in his lap or in his outstretched hands, and he would
wish him happy auspices, joined by the applauding
throng. Of his sons-in-law he adopted Nero;
Pompeius and Silanus he not only declined to adopt,
but even put to death.

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XXVIII. Libertorum praecipue suspexit Posiden
spadonem, quern etiam Britannico triumpho inter
militares viros hasta pura donavit ; nec minus
Felicem, quern cohortibus et alis provinciaeque
Iudaeae praeposuit, trium reginarum maritum ; et
Harpocran, cui lectica per urbem vehendi spectacu-
laque publice edendi ius tribuit; ac super hos
Polybium ab studiis, qui saepe inter duos consules
ambulabat ; sed ante omnis Narcissum ab epistulis
et Pallantem a rationibus, quos decreto quoque
senatus non praemiis modo ingentibus, sed et
quaestoriis praetoriisque ornamentis honorari libens
passus est ; tantum praeterea adquirere et rapere, ut
querente eo quondam de fisci exiguitate non absurde
dictum sit, abundaturum, si a duobus liber tis in con-
sortium reciperetur.

XXIX. His, ut dixi, uxoribusque addictus, non
principem, 1 sed ministrum egit, compendio cuiusque
horum vel etiam studio aut libidine honores exerci-
tus impunitates supplicia largitus est, et quid em
insciens plerumque et ignarus. Ac ne singillatim
minora quoque enumerem, revocatas liberalitates
eius, iudicia rescissa, suppositos aut etiam palam
immutatos datorum officiorum codicillos : Appium
Silanum consocerum suum Iuliasque, alteram Drusi,

a A common military prize.

6 Only two of these are known, both named Drusilla. One
was the daughter of Juba II., king of Mauretania, and the
other of Herod Agrippa I., of Judaea; the latter was
previously married to Azizus, king of Emesa.

e Otherwise restricted to knights. <* Chap, xxv.

1 The mss. have se after principem.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

XXVIII. Of his freedmen he had special regard
for the eunuch Posides, whom he even presented
with the headless spear a at his British triumph,
along with those who had served as soldiers. He
was equally fond of Felix, giving him the command
of cohorts and of troops of horse, as well as of the
province of Judaea ; and he became the husband of
three queens. 6 Also of Harpocras, to whom he
granted the privilege of riding through the city in a
litter and of giving public entertaiments. c Still
higher was his regard for Polybius, his literary
adviser, who often walked between the two consuls.
But most of all he was devoted to his secretary
Narcissus and his treasurer Pallas, and he gladly
allowed them to be honoured in addition by a decree
of the senate, not only with immense gifts, but even
with the insignia of quaestors and praetors. Besides
this he permitted them to amass such wealth by
plunder, that when he once complained of the low
state of his funds, the witty answer was made that
he would have enough and to spare, if he were taken
into partnership by his two freedmen.

XXIX. Wholly under the control of these and of
his wives, as I have said/* he played the part, not
of a prince, but of a servant, lavishing honours,
the command of armies, pardons or punishments,
according to the interests of each of them, or even
their wish or whim ; and that too for the most part
in ignorance and blindly. Not to go into details
about less important matters (such as revoking his
grants, rescinding his decisions, substituting false
letters patent, or even openly changing those which
he had issued), he put to death his father-in-
law Appius Silanus and the two Julias, daughters of

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alteram Germanici filiam, crimine incerto nec defen-
sione ulla data occidit, item Cn. Pompeium maioris

2 filiae virum et L. Silanum minoris sponsum. Ex qui-
bus Pompeius in concubitu dilecti adulescentuli con-
fossus est, Silanus abdicare se praetura ante IIII.
Kal. Ian. morique initio anni coactus die ipso Claudi
et Agrippinae nuptiarum. In quinque et triginta
senatores trecentosque amplius equites R. tanta
facilitate animadvertit, ut, cum de nece consularis
viri renuntiante centurione factum esse quod impe-
rasset, negaret quicquam se imperasse, nihilo minus
rem comprobaret, affirmantibus libertis officio milites
functos, quod ad ultionem imperatoris ultro procu-

3 currissent. Nam illud omnem fidem excesserit quod
nuptiis, quas Messalina cum adultero Silio fecerat,
tabellas dotis et ipse consignaverit, indue tus, quasi
de indu stria simularentur ad avertendum transferen-
dumque periculum, quod imminere ipsi per quaedam
ostenta portenderetur.

XXX. Auctoritas dignitasque formae non defuit ei,
verum 1 stanti vel sedenti ac praecipue quiescenti,
nam et prolixo nec exili corpore erat et specie
canitieque pulchra, opimis cervicibus ; ceterum et
ingredientem destituebant poplites minus firmi, et
remisse quid vel serio agent em multa dehonestabant:

1 ei verum, Btntlty^ Oudendorp ; et veterum, MGLPt {see
p. xxiv.) ; vel, T.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

Drusus and Germanicus, on an unsupported charge
and giving them no opportunity for defence ; also
Gnaeus Pompeius, the husband of his elder daughter,
and Lucius Silanus who was betrothed to his younger
one. Of these Pompey was stabbed in the embraces of
a favourite youth, while Silanus was compelled to
abdicate his praetorship four days before the Kalends
of January and to take his own life at the beginning
of the year, the very day of the marriage of Claudius
and Agrippina. He inflicted the death penalty on
thirty-five senators and more than three hundred
Roman knights with such easy indifference, that when
a centurion in reporting the death of an ex-consul
said that his order had been carried out, he replied
that he had given no order; but he nevertheless
approved the act, since his freedmen declared that
the soldiers had done their duty in hastening to
avenge their emperor without instructions. But it is
beyond all belief, that at the marriage which Messalina
had contracted with her paramour Silius he signed
the contract for the dowry with his own hand, being
induced to do so on the ground that the marriage
was a feigned one, designed to avert and turn upon
another a danger which was inferred from certain
portents to threaten the emperor himself.

XXX. He possessed majesty and dignity of ap- L
pearance, but only when he was standing still or
sitting, and especially when he was lying down ; for
he was tall but not slender, with an attractive face,
becoming white hair, and a full neck. But when he
walked, his weak knees gave way under him and he
had many disagreeable traits both in his lighter
moments and when he was engaged in business ; his
laughter was unseemly and his anger still more dis-

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risus indecens, ira turpior spumante rictu, umentibus
naribus, praeterea linguae titubantia caputque cum
semper turn in quantulocumque actu vel maxime
tremulum.

XXXI. Valitudine sicut olim gravi, ita princeps
prospera usus est excepto stomachi dolore, quo se
correptum etiam de consciscenda morte cogitasse
dixit.

XXXII. Convivia agitavit et ampla et assidua ac
fere patentissimis locis, ut plerumque sesceni simul
discumberent. Convivatus est et super emissarium
Fucini lacus ac paene summersus, cum emissa impetu
aqua redundasset. Adhibebat omni cenae et liberos
suos cum pueris puellisque nobilibus, qui 1 more
veteri ad fulcra lectorum sedentes vescerentur.
Convivae, qui pridie scyphum aureum subripuisse
existimabatur, revocato in diem posterum calicem
fictilem apposuit. Dicitur etiam meditatus edictum,
quo veniam daret flatum crepitumque ventris in
convivio emittendi, cum periclitatum quendam prae
pudore ex continentia repperisset.

XXXI II. Cibi vinique quocumque et tempore et
loco appetentissimus, cognoscens quondam in Au-
gusti foro ictusque nidore prandii, quod in proxima
Martis aede Saliis apparabatur, deserto tribunali
ascendit ad sacerdotes unaque decubuit. Nec
temere umquam triclinio abscessit nisi distentus ac

1 qui, YO ; ut, 5 ; the other mss. omit the word, except Q t
which has ut after veteri.

° The fulcra were the ends of the couches on which the
pillows were placed ; see Class. Rev. 3, pp. 322 ff.
6 Cf. Aug. lxiv. 3.

c Their feasts were proverbial for luxury ; see Hor. Odes,
i. 37. 2.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

gusting, for he would foam at the mouth and trickle
at the nose ; he stammered besides and his head was
very shaky at all times, but especially when he made
the least exertion.

XXXI. Though previously his health was bad, it
was excellent while he was emperor except for attacks
of heartburn, which he said all but drove him to
suicide.

XXXII. He gave frequent and grand dinner
parties, as a rule in spacious places, where six
hundred guests were often entertained at one time.
He even gave a banquet close to the outlet of the
Fucine Lake and was well-nigh drowned, when the
water was let out with a rush and deluged the place.
He always invited his own children to dinner along
with the sons and daughters of distinguished men,
having them sit at the arms a of the couches as they
ate, after the old time custom. 5 When a guest was
suspected of having stolen a golden bowl the day
before, he invited him again the next day, but set
before him an earthenware cup. He is even said to
have thought of an edict allowing the privilege
of breaking wind quietly or noisily at table, having
learned of a man who ran some risk by restraining
himself through modesty.

XXXIII. He was eager for food and drink at all
times and in all places. Once when he was holding
court in the forum of Augustus and had caught the
savour of a meal which was preparing for the Salii c
in the temple of Mars hard by, he left the tribunal,
went up where the priests were, and took his place
at their table. He hardly ever left the dining-room
until he was stuffed and soaked ; then he went to
sleep at once, lying on his back with his mouth open,

6 3

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

madens, et ut statim supino ac per somnum hianti
pinna in os inderetur ad exonerandum stomachum.

2 Somni brevissimi erat, nam ante mediam noctem
plerumque vigilabat, ut tamen interdiu 1 nonnum-
quam in iure dicendo obdormisceret vixque ab
advocatis de industria vocem augentibus excitaretur.
Libidinis in feminas profusissimae, marum omnino
expers. Aleam studiosissime lusit,de cuius arte librum
quoque emisit, solitus etiam in gestatione ludere,
ita essedo alveoque adaptatis ne lusus confunderetur.

XXXIV. Saevum et sanguinarium natura fuisse,
magnis minimisque apparuit rebus. Tormenta
quaestionum poenasque parricidarum repraesentabat
exigebatque coram. Cum spectare antiqui moris
supplicium Tiburi concupisset et deligatis ad palum
noxiis carnifex deesset, accitum ab urbe vesperam
usque opperiri perse veravit. Quocumque gladiatorio
munere, vel suo vel alieno, etiam forte prolapsos
iugulari iubebat, maxime retiarios, ut exspirantium

2 facies videret. Cum par quoddam mutuis ictibus
concidisset, cultellos sibi parvulos ex utroque ferro in
usum fieri sine mora iussit. Bestiariis meridianisque
adeo delectabatur, ut et prima luce ad spectaculum
descenderet et meridie dimisso ad prandium populo

a See Aug. xxxiii. 1.

» See Livy, i. 26. 6 ; Nero, xlix. 2 ; Dom. xi. 2-3.
e Their faces were not covered by helmets ; see Index, s.v.
rctiarivA.

d According to Pliny, N.H. 28. 34, game killed with a
knife with which a man had been slain was a specific for
epilepsy.

1 interdiu, $- ; interdum, XI.

6 4

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

and a feather was put down his throat to relieve his
stomach. He slept but little at a time, for he was
usually awake before midnight ; but he would some-
times drop off in the daytime while holding court
and could hardly be roused when the advocates
raised their voices for the purpose. He was immod-
erate in his passion for women, but wholly free from
unnatural vice. He was greatly devoted to gaming,
even publishing a book on the art, and he actually
used to play while driving, having the board so fitted
to his carriage as to prevent his game from being
disturbed.

XXXIV. That he was of a cruel and bloodthirsty
disposition was shown in matters great and small.
He always exacted examination by torture and the
punishment of parricides* at once and in his
presence. When he was at Tibur and wished to see
an execution in the ancient fashion, 6 no executioner
could be found after the criminals were bound to the
stake. Whereupon he sent to fetch one from
the city and continued to wait for him until nightfall.
At any gladiatorial show, either his own or another's,
he gave orders that even those who fell accidentally
should be slain, in particular the net-fighters/ so
that he could watch their faces as they died. When
a pair of gladiators had fallen by mutually inflicted
wounds, he at once had some little knives made
from both their swords for his use. d He took such
pleasure in the combats with wild beasts and of those
that fought at noonday/ that he would go down to
the arena at daybreak and after dismissing the people

• Those who fought during the midday interval, perhaps
the paegniarii ; see note on Calig, xxvL 5, with the reference
to Friedlander there given.

vol. n. F

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

persederet praeterque destinatos etiam levi subitaque
de causa quosdam committeret, de fabrorum quoque
ac ministrorum atque id genus numero, si automatum
vel pegma vel quid tale aliud parum cessisset.
Induxit et unum ex nomenculatoribus suis, sic ut erat
togatus.

XXXV. Sed nihil aeque quam timidus ac diffidens
fuit. Primis imperii diebus quanquani, ut diximus,
iactator civilitatis, neque convivia inire ausus est nisi
ut speculatores cum lanceis circumstarent militesque
vice ministrorum fungerentur, neque aegrum quem-
quam visitavit nisi explorato prius cubiculo culcitisque
et stragulis praetemptatis et excussis. Reliquo
autem tempore salutatoribus scrutatores semper

2 apposuit, et quidem omnibus et acerbissimos. Sero
enim ac vix remisit, ne feminae praetextatique pueri
et puellae contrectarentur et ne cuius comiti aut
librario calamariae et graphiariae thecae adimerentur.
Motu civili cum eum Camillus, non dubitans etiam
citra bellum posse terreri, contumeliosa et minaci et
contumaci epistula cedere imperio iuberet vitamque
otiosam in privata re agere, dubitavit adhibitis
principibus viris an optemperaret.

XXXVI. Quasdam insidias temere delatas adeo
expavit, ut deponere imperium temptaverit. Quo-
dam, ut supra rettuli, cum ferro circa sacrificantem
se deprehenso, senatum per praecones propere

a A structure with several movable stories, for show pieces
and other stage effects ; see Juv. 4. 122, and Mayor's note.
5 See note on Aug. xix. 1. c Chap. xii. d Chap. xiii.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

for luncheon at midday, he would keep his seat and
in addition to the appointed combatants, he would
for trivial and hasty reasons match others, even of the
carpenters, the assistants, and men of that class, if any
automatic device, or pageant, or anything else of the
kind, had not worked well. He even forced one of his
pages 6 to enter the arena just as he was, in his toga.

XXXV. But there was nothing for which he was
so notorious as timidity and suspicion. Although
in the early days of his reign, as we have said/ he
made a display of simplicity, he never ventured to
go to a banquet without being surrounded by guards
with lances and having his soldiers wait upon him in
place of the servants ; and he never visited a man
who was ill without having the patient's room examin-
ed beforehand and his pillows and bed-clothing felt
over and shaken out. Afterwards he even subjected
those who came to pay their morning calls to search,
sparing none the strictest examination. Indeed, it
was not until late, and then reluctantly, that he gave
up having women and young boys and girls grossly
mishandled, and the cases for pens and styles taken
from every man's attendant or scribe. When Camil-
lus began his revolution, he felt sure that Claudius
could be intimidated without resorting to war ; and
in fact when he ordered the emperor in an insulting,
threatening, and impudent letter to give up his
throne and betake himself to a life of privacy and re-
tirement, Claudius called together the leading men
and asked their advice about complying.

XXXVI. He was so terror-stricken by unfounded
reports of conspiracies that he had tried to abdicate.
When, as I have mentioned before,** a man with a
dagger was caught near him as he was sacrificing, he

6 7

F 2

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convocavit lacrimisque et vociferatione miseratus est
condicionem suam, cui nihil tuti usquam esset, ac
diii publico abstinuit. Messalinae quoque amorem
flagrantissimum non tarn indignitate contumeliarum
quam periculi metu abiecit, cum adultero Silio
adquiri imperium credidisset ; quo tempore foedum
in modum trepidus ad castra confugit, nihil tota via
quam essetne sibi salvum imperium requirens.

XXXVII. Nulla adeo suspicio, null us auctor tam
levis exstitit, a quo non mediocri scrupulo iniecto ad
cavendum ulciscendumque compelleretur. Unus ex
litigatoribus seducto in salutatione affirmavit, vidisse
se per quietem occidi eum a quodam; dein paulo
post, quasi percussorem agnosceret, libellum traden-
tem adversarium suum demonstravit ; confestimque
2 is pro deprenso ad poenam raptus est. Pari modo
oppressum ferunt Appium Silanum; quern cum
Messalina et Narcissus conspirassent perdere, divisis
partibus alter ante lucem similis attonito patroni
cubiculum inrupit, affirmans somniasse se vim ei ab
Appio inlatam ; altera in admirationem formata sibi
quoque eandem speciem aliquot iam noctibus obver-
sari rettulit ; nec multo post ex composito inrumpere
Appius nuntiatus, cui pridie ad id temporis ut

° Of the praetorian guard, in the north-eastern part of the
eity.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

summoned the senate in haste by criers and loudly
and tearfully bewailed his lot, saying that there was
no safety for him anywhere ; and for a long time he
would not appear in public His ardent love for
Messalina too was cooled, not so much by her un-
seemly and insulting conduct, as through fear of
danger, since he believed that her paramour Silius
aspired to the throne. On that occasion he made a
shameful and cowardly flight to the camp, a doing
nothing all the way but ask whether his throne was
secure.

XXXVII. No suspicion was too trivial, nor the
inspirer of it too insignificant, to drive him on to
precaution and vengeance, once a slight uneasiness
entered his mind. One of two parties to a suit, when
he made his morning call, took Claudius aside, and
said that he had dreamed that he was murdered by
someone ; then a little later pretending to recognize
the assassin, he pointed out his opponent, as he was
handing in his petition. The latter was immediately
seized, as if caught red-handed, and hurried off to
execution. It was in a similar way, they say, that
Appius Silanus met his downfall. When Messalina
and Narcissus had put their heads together to destroy
him, they agreed on their parts and the latter rushed
into his patron's bed-chamber before daybreak in
pretended consternation, declaring that he had
dreamed that Appius had made an attack on the
emperor. Then Messalina, with assumed surprise,
declared that she had had the same dream for
several successive nights. A little later, as had
been arranged, Appius, who had received orders the
day before to come at that time, was reported to be
forcing his way in, and as if this were proof positive

6 9

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

adesset praeceptum erat, quasi plane repraesentaretur
somnii fides, arcessi statim ac mori iussus est. Nec
dubitavit postero die Claudius ordinem rei gestae
perferre ad senatum ac liberto gratias agere, quod
pro salute sua etiam dormiens excubaret.

XXXVIII. Irae atque iracundiae conscius sibi,
utramque excusavit edicto distinxitque, pollicitus
alteram quidem brevem et innoxiam, alteram non
iniustam fore. Ostiensibus, quia sibi subeunti Tiberim
scaphas obviam non miserint, graviter correptis eaque
cum invidia, ut in ordinem se coactum conscriberet,
repente tantum non satis facientis modo veniam 1

2 dedit. Quosdam in publico parum tempestive
adeuntis manu sua reppulit. Item scribam quae-
storium itemque praetura functum senatorem in-
auditos et innoxios relegavit, quod ille adversus
privatum se intemperantius affuisset, hie in aedilitate
inquilinos praediorum suorum contra vetitum cocta
vendentes multasset vilicumque intervenientem fla-
gellasset. Qua de causa etiam coercitionem popi-
narum aedilibus ademit.

3 Ac ne stultitiam quidem suam reticuit simulatam-
que a se ex industria sub Gaio, quod aliter evasurus
perventurusque ad susceptam stationem non fuerit,
quibusdam oratiunculis testatus est ; nec tamen 2

1 modo veniam, ; veniam modo, A.

8 tamen, J. F. Gronov ; ante, A (autem, n 1 ).

* Narcissus. 6 See note on chap, xxiii. 2.

See Tib. xxxiv. 1. Claudius apparently allowed greater
freedom. The restrictions were renewed by Nero (see Nero,
x\u 2), and according to Dio, 60. 6, Claudius himself (later ?)

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

of the truth of the dream, his immediate accusation
and death were ordered. And Claudius did not
hesitate to recount the whole affair to the senate
next day and to thank the freed man ° for watching
over his emperor's safety even in his sleep.

XXXVIII. He was conscious of his tendency v
to wrath and resentment and excused both in an
edict; he also drew a distinction between them,
promising that the former would be short and
harmless and the latter not without cause. After
sharply rebuking the people of Ostia, because they
had sent no boats to meet him when he entered the
Tiber, and in such bitter terms that he wrote that
they had reduced him to the rank of a commoner, he
suddenly forgave them and all but apologised. He
repulsed with his own hand men who approached
him in public at unseasonable times. . He also
banished 6 a quaestor's clerk without a hearing, as
well as a senator of praetorian rank, although they
were blameless: the former for going too far in
pleading a suit against him before he became
emperor ; the latter, because, when aedile, he had
fined the tenants of Claudius's estates for violating
the law forbidding the selling of cooked victuals, and
had whipped his bailiff when he remonstrated. And
with the same motive he took from the aediles the
regulation of the cook-shops. c

He did not even keep quiet about his own stupid-
ity, but in certain brief speeches he declared that he
had purposely feigned it under Gaius, because other-
wise he could not have escaped alive and attained
his present station. But he convinced no one, and

issued an edict forbidding the sale of dressed meats and hot
water, as well as abolishing the drinking-booths.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

persuasit, cum intra breve tempus liber editus sit, cui
index erat fxmpuiv OTavaoracris, argumentum autem
stultitiam neminem fingere.

XXXIX. Inter cetera in eo mirati sunt homines et
oblivionem et inconsiderantiam, vel ut Graece dicam,
ft€T€<optav et &p\€\ftlav. Occisa Messalina, paulo post
quam in triclinio decubuit, cur domina non veniret
requisiit. Multos ex iis, quos capite damnaverat,
postero statim die et in consilium et ad aleae lusum
admoneri iussit et, quasi morarentur, ut somniculosos

2 per nuntium increpuit. Ducturus contra fas Agrip-
pinam uxorem, non cessavit omni oratione filiam et
alumnam et in gremio suo natam atque educatam
praedicare. Adsciturus in nomen Neronem, quasi
parum reprehenderetur, quod adulto iam Alio pri-
vignum adoptaret, identidem divulgavit neminem
umquam per adoptionem familiae Claudiae insertum.

XL. Sermonis vero rerumque tantam saepe neg-
legentiam ostendit, ut nec quis nec inter quos, quove
tempore ac loco verba faceret, scire aut cogitare
existimaretur. Cum de laniis ac vinariis ageretur,
exclamavit in curia : " Rogo vos, quis potest sine
offula vivere ? " Descripsitque 1 abundantiam veterum
tabernarum, unde solitus esset vinum olim et ipse

2 petere. De quaesturae 2 quodam candidate inter

causas sufFragationis suae posuit, quod pater eius

frigidam aegro sibi tempestive dedisset. Inducta

teste in senatu: "Haec," inquit, "matris meae

1 descripsitque, Torrentius ; descripsit, mss.
3 quaesturae, $- {BerocUdus) ; questore, 0.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

within a short time a book was published, the title of
which was " The Elevation of Fools " and its thesis,
that no one feigned folly.

XXXIX. Among other things men have marvelled
at his absent-mindedness and blindness, or to use the
Greek terms, his fiereuypia and afik€ij/(a. When he
had put Messalina to death, he asked shortly after
taking his place at the table why the empress did
not come. He caused many of those whom he had
condemned to death to be summoned the very next
day to consult with him or game with him, and sent
a messenger to upbraid them for sleepy-heads when
they delayed to appear. When he was planning his
unlawful marriage with Agrippina, in every speech
that he made he constantly called her his daughter
and nursling, born and brought up in his arms.
Just before his adoption of Nero, as if it were not
bad enough to adopt a stepson when he had a grown-
up son of his own, he publicly declared more than
once that no one had ever been taken into the
Claudian family by adoption.

XL. In short, he often showed such heedlessness
in word and act that one would suppose that he did
not know or care to whom, with whom, when, or
where he was speaking. When a debate was going
on about the butchers and vintners, he cried out in
the House : " Now, pray, who can live without a
snack," and then went on to describe the abundance
of the old taverns to which he himself used to go for
wine in earlier days. He gave us one of his reasons
for supporting a candidate for the quaestorship, that
the man's father had once given him cold water when
he was ill and needed it. Once when a witness had
been brought before the senate, he said : " This

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

liberta et ornatrix fuit, sed me patronum semper
existimavit ; hoc ideo dixi, quod quidam sunt adhuc

3 in domo mea, qui me patronum non putant." Sed et
pro tribunali Ostiensibus quiddam publice orantibus
cum excanduisset, nihil habere se vociferatus est,
quare eos demereatur ; si quern alium, et se liberum
esse. Nam ilia eius cotidiana et plane omnium
horarum et momentorum erant : " Quid, ego tibi
Telegenius videor?" et : XdXct 1 kcu firj Otyyave, multa-
que talia etiam privatis deformia, nedum principi,
neque infacundo neque indocto, immo etiam pertina-
citer liberal ibus studiis dedito.

XLI. Historiam in adulescentia hortante T. Livio,
Sulpicio vero Flavo etiam adiuvante, scribere
adgressus est. Et cum primum frequenti auditorio
commisisset, aegre perlegit refrigeratus saepe a
semet ipso. Nam cum initio recitationis defractis
compluribus subselliis obesitate cuiusdam risus
exortus esset, ne sedato quidem tumultu temperare
potuit, quin ex intervallo subinde facti reminisceretur

2 cachinnosque revocaret. In principatu quoque et
scripsit plurimum et assidue recitavit per lectorem.
Initium autem sumpsit historiae post caedem
Caesaris dictatoris, sed 2 transiit ad inferiora tempora
coepitque a pace civili, cum sentiret neque libere
neque vere sibi de superioribus tradendi potestatem
relic tam, correptus saepe et a matre et ab avia.

1 \d\*i, Tumebu8 ; \a\i, mss.

9 sed et, mss. ; Midler struck out sed, Torrtntxus et.

° Obviously some man proverbial for his folly ; but
nothing is known about him. 6 The famous historian.
Because he stammered ; see chap. xxx.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

woman was my mothers freedwoman and tire-
woman, but she always regarded me as her patron ;
I mention this because there are still some in my
household now who do not look on me as patron."
When the people of Ostia made a public petition to
him, he flew into a rage on the very tribunal and
bawled out that he had no reason for obliging them ;
that he was surely free if anyone was. In fact
every day, and almost every hour and minute, he
would make such remarks as these ; " What ! do you
take me for a Telegenius ? " a " Scold me, but hands
off! " and many others of the same kind which would
be unbecoming even in private citizens, not to
mention a prince who lacked neither eloquence noi
culture, but on the contrary constantly devoted
himself to liberal pursuits.

XLI. He began to write a history in his youth
with the encouragement of Titus Livius 6 and the
direct help of Sulpicius Flavus. But when he gave
his first reading to a large audience, he had difficulty
in finishing, since he more than once threw cold water
on his own performance. For at the beginning of
the reading the breaking down of several benches
by a fat man raised a laugh, and even after the
disturbance was quieted, Claudius could not keep
from recalling the incident and renewing his guffaws.
Even while he was emperor he wrote a good deal and
gave constant recitals through a professional reader. 6
He began his history with the death of the dictator
Caesar, but passed to a later period and took a
fresh start at the end of the civil war, realising
that he was not allowed to give a frank or true
account of the earlier times, since he was often
taken to task tyoth by his mother and his grand-

Digitized by Goode

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK V

Prions materiae duo volumina, posterioris unum et
3 quadraginta reliquit. Composuit et "de vita sua"
octo volumina, magis inepte quam ineleganter ; item
" Ciceronis defensionem ad versus Asini Galli libros "
satis eruditam. Novas etiam commentus est litteras
tres ac numero veterum quasi maxime necessarias
addidit ; de quarum ratione cum privatus adhuc
volumen edidisset, mox princeps non difficulter
optinuit ut in usu quoque promiscuo essent. Exstat
talis scriptura in plerisque libris ac diurnis titulisque
operum.

XLII. Nec minore cura Graeca studia secutus est,
amorem praestantiamque linguae occasione omni
professus. Cuidam barbaro Graece ac Latine disse-
renti : " Cum utroque," inquit, " sermone nostro sis
paratus " ; et in commendanda patribus conscriptis
Achaia, gratam sibi provinciam ait communium
studiorum commercio ; ac saepe in senatu legatis
perpetua oratione respondit. Multum vero pro
tribunali etiam Homericis locutus est versibus.
Quotiens quidem hostem vel insidiatorem ultus
esset, excubitori tribuno signum de more poscenti
non temere aliud dedit quam :

*AvSp' airafivvao'dcu, ore tis 7rpoT€pos xaAcmJvi;. 1

2 Denique et Graecas scripsit historias, Tyrrhenicon
viginti, Carchedoniacon octo. Quarum causa veteri

1 avtipaeir, ; xaA.eir^i'p, TorretUivs ; xaA.cireA.ti'ei, M.

a His grandmother Octavia was the widow, and his mother
Antonia the daughter, of Mark Antony.

* These were h, to represent the sound between u and i
in maxumw, maximus, etc. ; D, for the sound of bs as ps ;
b for consonant u. e See Jul, xx. 1, at the beginning.

d i.e. in Greek ; cf. Tib. lxxi.

7 6

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

mother.* He left two books of the earlier history,
but forty-one of the later. He also composed an
autobiography in eight books, lacking rather in good
taste than in style, as well as a « Defence of Cicero
against the Writings of Asinius Gallus," a work of
no little learning. Besides this he invented three
new letters and added them to the alphabet, maintain-
ing that they were greatly needed ; b he published a
book on their theory when he was still in private
life, and when he became emperor had no difficulty
in bringing about their general use. These charac-
ters may still be seen in numerous books, in the
daily gazette/ and in inscriptions on public buildings.

XLII. He gave no less attention to Greek studies,
taking every occasion to declare his regard for
that language and its superiority. To a foreigner
who held forth both in Greek and in Latin he said :
"Since you are ready with both our tongues " ; and
in commending Achaia to the senators he declared
that it was a province dear to him through the associa-
tion of kindred studies; while he often replied to
Greek envoys in the senate in a set speech.** Indeed
he quoted many Homeric lines from the tribunal, and
whenever he had punished an enemy or a conspirator,
he commonly gave the tribune of the guard e this
verse when he asked for the usual watchword :

"Ward off stoutly the man whosoever is first to
assail you."/

At last he even wrote historical works in Greek,
twenty books of Etruscan History and eight of
Carthaginian. Because of these works there was

• Referring to the cohort on guard at the Palace; cf.
chap. x. / Iliad, 24. 369 ; Odyss. 21. 133.

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Alexandriae Musio additum ex ipsius nomine novum; 1
institutumque ut quotannis in altero Tyrrhenicon
libri, in altero Carchedoniacon diebus statutis velut
in auditorio recitarentur toti a singulis per vices.

XLIII. Sub exitu vitae signa quaedamnec obscura
paenitentis de matrimonio Agrippinae deque Neronis
adoptione dederat, siquidem commemorantibus
libertis ac laudantibus cognitionem, qua pridie
quandam adulterii ream condemnarat, sibi quoque in
fatis esse iactavit omnia impudica, sed non impunita
matrimonia; et subinde obvium sibi Britannicum
artius complexus hortatus est, ut cresceret ratio-
nemque a se omnium factorum acciperet ; Graeca
insuper voce prosecutus : 6 rpdxras iocrcrai. Cumque
impubi teneroque adhuc, quando statura permitteret,
togam dare destinasset, adiecit : " Ut tandem
populus R. verum Caesarem habeas"

XLIV. Non multoque post testamentum etiam
conscripsitac signis omnium magistratuum obsignavit.
Prius igitur quam ultra progrederetur, praeventus
est ab Agrippina, quam praeter haec conscientia
quoque nec minus delatores multorum criminum
arguebant.

2 Et veneno quidem occisum convenit ; ubi autem
et per quem dato, discrepat. Quidara tradunt
epulanti in arce cum sacerdotibus per Halotum
spadonem praegustatorem ; alii domestico convivio

1 novum, added bp Drechsler; Both suggested Claudieum
after Musio.

a A proverbial expression, derived from the story of
Telephus, who when wounded by Achilles was told by the
oracle that he could be cured only by the one who dealt the
blow. Achilles cured him by applying rust from his spear
to the wound.

7 s

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

added to the old Museum at Alexandria a new one
called after his name, and it was provided that in
the one his Etruscan History should be read each
year from beginning to end, and in the other his
Carthaginian, by various readers in turn, in the
manner of public recitations.

XLIII. Towards the end of his life he had shown
some plain signs of repentance for his marriage with
Agrippina and his adoption of Nero ; for when his
freedmen expressed their approval of a trial in which
he had the day before condemned a woman for
adultery, he declared that it had been his destiny
also to have wives who were all unchaste, but not
unpunished ; and shortly afterwards meeting Britan-
nicus, he hugged him close and urged him to grow up
and receive from his father an account of all that he
had done, adding in Greek, "He who dealt the
wound will heal it." a When he expressed his
intention of giving Britannicus the gown of manhood,
since his stature justified it though he was still young
and immature, he added : " That the Roman people
may at last have a genuine Caesar." b

XLIV. Not long afterwards he also made his will
and sealed it with the seals of all the magistrates. But
before he could go any farther, he was cut short by
Agrippina, who was being accused besides of many
other crimes both by her own conscience and by
informers.

That Claudius was poisoned is the general belief,
but when it was done and by whom is disputed.
Some say that it was his taster, the eunuch Halotus,as
he was banqueting on the Citadel c with the priests ;

h That is, a legitimate heir to the throne.
e The northern spur of the Capitoline Hill.

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per ipsam Agrippinam, quae boletum medicatum
avidissimo ciborum talium optulerat. Etiam de
3 subsequentibus diversa fama est. Multi statim
hausto veneno obmutuisse aiunt excruciatumque
doloribus nocte tota defecisse prope lucem. Non-
nulli inter initia consopitum, deinde cibo affluente
evomuisse omnia, repetitumque toxico, incertum
pultine addito, cum velut exhaustum refici cibo
oporteret, an immisso per clystera, 1 ut quasi abun-
dantia laboranti etiam hoc genere egestionis sub-
veniretur.

XLV. Mors eius celata est, donee circa succes-
sorem omnia ordinarentur. Itaque et quasi pro
aegro adhuc vota suscepta sunt et inducti per
simulationem comoedi, qui velut desiderantem ob-
lectarent. Excessit III. Id. Octob. Asinio Marcello
Acilio Aviola coss. sexagesimo quarto aetatis, imperii
quarto decimo anno, funerat usque est sollemni
principum pompa et in numerum deorum relatus ;
quern honorem a Nerone destitutum abolitumque
recepit mox per Vespasianum.

XL VI. Praesagia mortis eius praecipua fuerunt:
exortus crinitae stellae, quam cometen vocant, 2
tactumque de caelo monumentum Drusi patris, et
quod eodem anno ex omnium magistratuum genere
plerique mortem obierant. Sed nec ipse ignorasse
aut dissimulasse ultima vitae suae tempora videtur,

1 clystera, r» clysteram, MX (clystere, T); clysterum, O;
clysterem, T.

2 quam • • . vocant : probably a gloss; tf. Jul. lxxxviii.

THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

others that at a family dinner Agrippina served the
drug to him with her own hand in mushrooms, a dish of
which he was extravagantly fond. Reports also differ
as to what followed. Many say that as soon as he
swallowed the poison he became speechless, and after
suffering excruciating pain all night, died just before
dawn. Some say that he first fell into a stupor, then
vomited up the whole contents of his overloaded
stomach, and was given a second dose, perhaps in a
gruel, under pretence that he must be refreshed
with food after his exhaustion, or administered in
a syringe, as if he were suffering from a surfeit
and required relief by that form of evacuation as
well.

XLV. His death was kept quiet until all the ^
arrangements were made about the succession.
Accordingly vows were offered for his safety, as if
he were still ill, and the farce was kept up by
bringing in comic actors, under pretence that he had
asked to be entertained in that way. He died on
the third day before the Ides of October in the Oct.i3,
consulship of Asinius Marcellus and Acilius Aviola, 64
in the sixty-fourth year of his age and the fourteenth
of his reign. He was buried with regal pomp and
enrolled among the gods, an honour neglected and
finally annulled by Nero, but later restored to him by
Vespasian.

XLVI. The principal omens of his death were the
following : the rise of a long-haired star, commonly
called a comet; the striking of his father Drusus's
tomb by lightning ; and the fact that many magistrates
of all ranks had died that same year. There are besides
some indications that he himself was not unaware of
of his approaching end, and that he made no secret

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aliquot quidem argujuantis. Nam et cum consules
designarfit r --il€minem ultra mensem quo obiit
^ieigfgnavit, et in senatu, cui novissime intermit,
multum ad concordiam liberos suos cohortatus,
utriusque aetatem suppliciter patribus commendavit,
et in ultima cognitione pro tribunali accessisse ad
finem mortalitatis, quanquam abominantibus qui
audiebant, semel atque iterum pronuntiavit.

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THE DEIFIED CLAUDIUS

it ; for when he was appointing the consuls, he made
no appointment beyond the month when he died,
and on his last appearance in the senate, after
earnestly exhorting his children to harmony, he
begged the members to watch over the tender years
of both ; and in his last sitting on the tribunal he
declared more than once that he had reached the
end of a mortal career, although all who heard him
prayed that the omen might be averted.*

° The formula was "Di meliora {duint)\" "May the
Gods grant better things," i.e. " the Gods forbid !"

a 2

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BOOK VI

NERO

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LIBER VI

NERO

I. Ex gente Doniitia duae familiae claruerunt,
Calvinorum et Ahenobarborum. Ahenobarbi aucto-
rem originis itemque cognominis habent L. Domi-
tium, cui rure quondam revertenti iuvenes gemini
augustiore forma ex occursu imperasse traduntur,
nuntiaret senatui ac populo victoriam, de qua
incertum adhuc erat; atque in fidem maiestatis
adeo permulsisse malas, ut e nigro rutilum aerique
adsimilem capillum redderent. Quod insigne mansit
et in posteris eius, ac magna pars rutila barba
2 fuerunt. Functi autem consulatibus septem, tri-
umpho censuraque duplici et inter patricios adlecti
perse vera verunt omnes in eodem cognomine. Ac
ne praenomina quidem ulla praeterquam Gnaei et
Luci usurparunt ; eaque ipsa notabili varietate,
modo continuantes unum quodque per trinas per-
sonas, modo alternantes per singulas. Nam primum
secundumque ac tertium Ahenobarborum Lucios,
sequentis rursus tres ex ordine Gnaeos accepimus,
reliquos non nisi vicissim turn Lucios turn Gnaeos.

fl The youths were Castor and Pollux, and the victory that
at Lake Regillus, in 498 B.C., according to the traditional
chronology.

BOOK VI

NERO

I. Of the Domitian family two branches have
acquired distinction, the Calvini and the Ahenobarbi.
The latter have as the founder of their race and the
origin of their surname Lucius Domitius, to whom, as
he was returning from the country, there once ap-
peared twin youths of more than mortal majesty, so it
is said, and bade him carry to the senate and people the
news of a victory, which was as yet unknown. And as
a token of their divinity it is said that they stroked
his cheeks and turned his black beard to a ruddy
hue, like that of bronze. This sign was perpetuated
in his descendants, a great part of whom had red
beards. After they had attained seven consulships, 26i, 122,
a triumph, and two censorships, and were enrolled 32' B 9 c. M '
among the patricians, they all continued to use the 32 a.d.
same surname. They confined their forenames to 115,9*2*8.0.
Gnaeus and Lucius, and used even these with a note-
worthy variation, now conferring each one on three
members of the family in succession, and now giving
them to individual members in turn. Thus the first,
second, and third of the Ahenobarbi, we are told,
were called Lucius, the next three in order Gnaeus,
while all those that followed were called in turn first
Lucius and then Gnaeus. It seems to me worth

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Pluris e familia cognosci referre arbitror, quo facilius
appareat ita degenerasse a suorum virtutibus Nero,
ut tamen vitia cuiusque quasi tradita et ingenita
rettulerit.

II. Ut igitur paulo altius repetam, atavus eius
Cn. Domitius in tribunatu pontificibus offensior,
quod alium quam se in patris sui locum cooptassent,
ius sacerdotum subrogandorum a collegiis ad popu-
lum transtulit ; at in consulatu Allobrogibus
Arvernisque superatis elephanto per provinciam
vectus est turba militum quasi inter sollemnia

2 triumphi prosequente. In hunc dixit Licinius
Crassus orator non esse mirandum, quod aeneam
barbam haberet, cui os ferreum, cor plumbeum
esset. Huius Alius praetor C. Caesarem abeuntem
consulatu, quern adversus auspicia legesque gessisse
existimabatur, ad disquisitionem senatus vocavit;
mox consul imperatorem ab exercitibus Gallicis
retrahere temptavit successorque ei per factionem
nominatus principio civilis belli ad Corfinium captus

3 est. Unde dimissus Massiliensis obsidione laborantis
cum adventu suo confirmasset, repente destituit
acieque demum Pharsalica occubuit; vir neque
satis constans et ingenio truci in desperatione

fl Suetonius is in error here; it was the father of the
tribune who defeated the Allobroges.

b Oa has about the force of " cheek " in colloquial English.
See Jvl. xxxiv. 1,

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NERO

while to give an account of several members of this
family, to show more clearly that though Nero de-
generated from the good qualities of his ancestors,
he yet reproduced the vices of each of them, as if
transmitted to him by natural inheritance.

II. To begin then somewhat far back, his great-
grandfather's grandfather, Gnaeus Domitius, when
tribune of the commons, was enraged at the pontiffs
for choosing another than himself in his father's
place among them, and transferred the right of filling
vacancies in the priesthoods from the colleges them-
selves to the people. Then having vanquished the
Allobroges and the Arverni in his consulship, he 122 b.c.
rode through the province on an elephant, attended
by a throng of soldiers, in a kind of triumphal
procession.* He it was of whom the orator Licinius
Crassus said that it was not surprising that he had a
brazen beard, since he had a face 6 of iron and a
heart of lead. His son, who was praetor at the
time, summoned Gaius Caesar to an investigation
before the senate at the close of his consulship,
because it was thought that his administration had
been in violation of the auspices and the laws.
Afterwards in his own consulship he tried to deprive 54 b. c .
Caesar of the command of the armies in Gaul, and
being named Caesar's successor by his party, was
taken prisoner at Corfinium at the beginning of the
civil war. c Granted his freedom, he at first gave cour-
age by his presence to the people of Massilia, who were
hard pressed by their besiegers, but suddenly aban-
doned them and at last fell in the battle at Pharsalus.
He was a man of no great resolution, though he had
a violent temper, and when he once attempted to
kill himself in a fit of despair and terror, he so

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rerum mortem timore appetitam ita expavit, ut
haustum venenum paenitentia evomuerit medicum-
que manumiserit, quod sibi prudens ac sciens minus
noxium temperasset. Consultante autem Cn. Pom-
peio de mediis ac neutram partem sequentibus solus
censuit hostium numero habendos.

III. Reliquit filium omnibus gentis suae procul
dubio praeferendum. Is inter conscios Caesarianae
necis quamquam insons damnatus lege Pedia, cum
ad Cassium Brutumque se propinqua sibi cognatione
iunctos contulisset, post utriusque interitum classera
olim commissam retinuit, auxit etiam, nec nisi
partibus ubique profligatis M. Antonio sponte et

2 in gentis meriti loco tradidit. Sol usque omnium
ex iis, qui pari lege damnati erant, restitutus in
patriam amplissimos honores percucurrit ; ac subinde
redintegrata dissensione civili, eidem Antonio lega-
tus, delatam sibi summam imperii ab iis, quos
Cleopatrae pudebat, neque suscipere neque recusare
fidenter propter subitam valitudinem ausus, transiit
ad Augustum et in diebus paucis obiit, nonnulla
et ipse infamia aspersus. Nam Antonius eum
desiderio amicae Serviliae Naidis transfugisse iac-
tavit.

IV. Ex hoc Domitius nascitur, quem emptorem

° Proposed by Q. Pedius, Caesar's colleague in the consul
ship. * The Pedian law.

NERO

shrank from the thought of death that he changed
his mind and vomited up the poison, conferring
freedom on his physician, since, knowing his master,
he had purposely given him what was not a fatal dose.
When Gnaeus Pompeius brought forward the question
of the treatment of those who were neutral and sided
with neither party, he alone was for regarding them
as hostile.

III. He left a son, who was beyond all question
better than the rest of the family. He was con-
demned to death by the Pedian law ° among those
implicated in Caesar's death, though he was guiltless,
and accordingly joined Brutus and Cassius, who were
his near relatives. After the death of both leaders
he retained the fleet of which he had previously been
made commander, and even added to it, and it was
not until his party had been everywhere routed that
he surrendered it to Mark Antony, of his own free
will and as if it were a great favour. He too was
the only one of those who were condemned by that
same law b who was allowed to return to his native
land, where he successively held all the highest offices.
When the civil strife was subsequently renewed, and
he was appointed one of Antony's lieutenants, he
did not venture, owing to a sudden attack of illness,
to accept the chief command when it was offered
him by those who were ashamed of Cleopatra, nor

yet positively to decline it; but he went over to 31b.c.
Augustus and a few days later died. Even he did
not escape with an unblemished reputation, for
Antony openly declared that he had changed sides
from desire for the company of his mistress, Servilia
Nais.

IV. He was the father of the Domitius who was

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familiae pecuniaeque in testamento Augusti fuisse
mox vulgo notatum est, non minus aurigandi arte in
adulescentia clarus quam deinde ornamentis trium-
phalibus ex Germanico bello. Verum arrogans,
profusus, immitis censorem L. Plancum via sibi
decedere aedilis coegit; praeturae consulatusque
honore equites R. matronasque ad agendum mimum
produxit in scaenam. Venationes et in Circo et in
omnibus urbis regionibus dedit, munus etiam gladia-
torium, sed tanta saevitia, ut necesse fuerit Augusto
clam frustra monitum edicto coercere.

V. Ex Antonia maiore patrem Neronis procreavit
omni parte vitae detestabilem, siquidem comes
ad Orientem C. Caesaris iuvenis, occiso liberto suo,
quod potare quantum iubebatur recusaret, dimissus e
cohorte amicorum nihilo modestius vixit ; sed et in
viae Appiae vico repente puerum citatis iumentis
haud ignarus obtrivit et Romae medio Foro cuidam
2 equiti R. liberius iurganti oculum eruit; perfidiae
vero tantae, ut non modo argentarios pretiis rerum
coemptarum, sed et in praetura mercede palmarum
aurigarios fraudaverit, notatus ob haec et sororis ioco, 1

1 ioco, ; loco, XI ; Some assume a lucuna after ioco, which
is filled in various ways : quae, Casaubon ; qui, Ursinus,
Oudendorp ; et Tiberi edicto qui, Bucheler.

a That is, as his executor. The maker of a will chose a
man to whom he made a symbolic sale {per aes et librum ; see
Aug. lxiv. 1) of all his goods in the presence of witnesses.
The purchaser then made the designated payments to the
heirs and legatees. 6 Aug. lxiv. and lxv.

c Gouging out the eyes seems to have been a favourite
mode of attack among the Italians ; cf. Aug. xxvii. 4, Nero
xxvi. 2, and the frequent allusions in comedy.

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NERO

later well known from being named in Augustus* will
as the purchaser of his goods and chattels,* a man no
less famous in his youth for his skill in driving than he
was later for winning the insignia of a triumph in the
war in Germany. But he was haughty, extravagant,
and cruel, and when he was only an aedile, forced the
censor Lucius Plancus to make way for him on the
street. While holding the offices of praetor and consul,
he brought Roman knights and matrons on the stage
to act a farce. He gave beast-baitings both in the
Circus and in all the regions of the city ; also a
gladiatorial show, but with such inhuman cruelty that
Augustus, after his private warning was disregarded,
was forced to restrain him by an edict.

V. He had by the elder Antonia a son Domitius who
became the father of Nero, a man hateful in every
walk of life ; for when he had gone to the East on the
staff of the young Gaius Caesar, 6 he slew one of his
own freedmen for refusing to drink as much as he
was ordered, and when he was in consequence
dismissed from the number of Gaius' friends, he lived
not a whit less lawlessly. On the contrary, in a
village on the Appian Way, suddenly whipping up
his team, he purposely ran over and killed a boy;
and right in the Roman Forum he gouged out the
eye c of a Roman knight for being too outspoken in
chiding him. He was moreover so dishonest that he
not only cheated some bankers of the prices of wares
which he had bought/ but in his praetorship he even
defrauded the victors in the chariot races of the
amount of their prizes. When for this reason he was
held up to scorn by the jests of his own sister, and

* And paid for through the bankers ; cf . verscriptum fuisset,
Jul. xlii. 2.

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querentibus dominis factionum repraesentanda prae-
mia in posterum sanxit. Maiestatis quoque et
adulteriorum incestique cum sorore Lepida sub
excessu Tiberi reus, mutatione temporum evasit
decessitque Pyrgis morbo aquae intercutis, sublato
filio Nerone ex Agrippina Germanico genita.

VI. Nero natus est Anti 1 post Villi, mensem
quam Tiberius excessit, XVIII. Kal. Ian. tantum
quod exoriente sole, paene ut radiis prius quam terra
contingeretur. De genitura eius statim multa et
formidujosa multis coniectantibus praesagio fuit etiam
Domiti patris vox, inter gratulationes amicorum
negantis quicquam ex se et Agrippina nisi detestabile

2 et malo publico nasci potuisse. Eiusdem futurae in-
felicitatis signum evidens die lustrico exstitit; nam
C. Caesar, rogante sorore ut infanti quod vellet
nomen daret, intuens Claudium patruum suum, a
quo mox principe Nero adoptatus est, eius se dixit
dare, neque ipse serio sed per iocum et aspernante
Agrippina, quod turn Claudius inter ludibria aulae
erat.

3 Trimulus patrem amisit ; cuius ex parte tertia
heres, ne hanc quidem integram cepit correptis per
coheredem Gaium universis bonis. Et subinde
matre etiam relegata paene inops atque egens apud
amitam Lepidam nutritus est sub duobus paedagogis

1 Anti, Roth ; Antii, Tumebus and P in the margin ; ante, XI.

a In his capacity as praetor; this was adding insult to
injury, since the edict did not affect the present case.

6 See note on Tib. vii. 2.

c See note on Tib. vii. 2 and cf. Aug. v.

* Boys on the ninth day after birth, and girls on the eight,
were purified by a sacrifice and given a name ; the ceremony
was called lustratio.

NERO

the managers of the troupes made complaint, he issued
an edict a that the prizes should thereafter be paid
on the spot. Just before the death of Tiberius he
was also charged with treason, as well as with acts of
adultery and with incest with his sister Lepida, but
escaped owing to the change of rulers and died of
dropsy at Pyrgi, after acknowledging 6 Nero son of
Agrippina, the daughter of Germanicus.

VI. Nero was born at Antium nine months after Doc. 15,
the death of Tiberius, on the eighteenth day before 87
the Kalends of January, just as the sun rose, so that
he was touched by its rays almost before he could
be laid upon the ground. 6 Many people at once made
many direful predictions from his horoscope, and a
remark of his father Domitius was also regarded as
an omen ; for while receiving the congratulations of
his friends, he said that " nothing that was not
abominable and a public bane could be born of
Agrippina and himself." Another manifest indication
of Nero's future unhappiness occurred on the day of
his purification ; d for when Gaius Caesar was asked
by his sister to give the child whatever name he liked,
he looked at his uncle Claudius, who later became
emperor and adopted Nero, and said that he gave
him his name. This he did, not seriously, but in
jest, and Agrippina scorned the proposal, because at
that time Claudius was one of the laughing-stocks of
the court.

At the age of three he lost his father, being left
heir to a third of his estate ; but even this he did
not receive in full, since his fellow heir Gaius seized
all the property. Then his mother was banished too,
and he was brought up at the house of his aunt
Lepida almost in actual want, under two tutors,

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saltatore atque tonsore. Verum Claudio imperium
adepto non solum paternas opes reciperavit, sed
et Crispi Passieni vitrici sui hereditate ditatus est.
4 Gratia quidem et potentia revocatae restitutaeque
matris usque eo floruit, ut emanaret in vulgus missos
a Messalina uxore Claudi, qui eum meridiantem,
quasi Britannici aemulum, strangularent. Additum
fabulae eosdem 1 dracone e pulvino se proferente
conterritos refugisse. Quae fabula exorta est de-
prensis in lecto eius circum cervicalia serpentis
exuviis ; quas tamen aureae armillae ex voluntate
matris inclusas dextro brachio gestavit aliquamdiu ac
taedio tandem maternae memoriae abiecit rursusque
extremis suis rebus frustra requisiit.

VII. Tener adhuc necdum matura pueritia circen-
sibus ludis Troiam constantissime favorabiliterque
lusit. Undecimo aetatis anno a Claudio adoptatus
est Annaeoque Senecae iam tunc senatori in discipli-
nam traditus. Ferunt Senecam proxima nocte
visum sibi per quietem C. Caesari praecipere, et
fidem somnio Nero brevi fecit prodita immanitate
naturae quibus primum potuit experimentis. Nam-
que Britannicum fratrem, quod se post adoptionem
Ahenobarbum ex consuetudine salutasset, ut sub-
ditivum apud patrem arguere conatus est. Amitam

1 ad before eosdem, MLP; at, G; et, T; OS T omit.

° That is, as if the story had a better foundation, and the
serpent had really saved his life through divine agency.

6 So the mss., but it should be the twelfth (Lipsius) or
thirteenth (Oudendorp).

e That is, his adoptive father Claudius.

9 6

NERO

a dancer and a barber. But when Claudius became
emperor, Nero not only recovered his father's pro-
perty, but was also enriched by an inheritance from
his stepfather, Passienus Crispus. When his mother
was recalled from banishment and reinstated, he
became so prominent through her influence that it
leaked out that Messalina, wife of Claudius, had sent
emissaries to strangle him as he was taking his noon-
day nap, regarding him as a rival of Britannicus. An
addition to this bit of gossip is, that the would-be
assassins were frightened away by a snake which
darted out from under his pillow. The only founda-
tion for this tale was, that there was found in his
bed near the pillow the slough of a serpent; but
nevertheless a at his mother's desire he had the skin
enclosed in a golden bracelet, and wore it for a
long time on his right arm. But when at last the
memory of his mother grew hateful to him, he threw
it away, and afterwards in the time of his extremity
sought it again in vain.

VII. While he was still a young, half-grown boy
he took part in the game of Troy at a perform-
ance in the Circus with great self-possession and
success. In the eleventh b year of his age he 60 a.d.
was adopted by Claudius and consigned to the
training of Annaeus Seneca, who was then already
a senator. They say that on the following night
Seneca dreamed that he was teaching Gaius
Caesar, and Nero soon proved the dream prophetic
by revealing the cruelty of his disposition at the
earliest possible opportunity. For merely because his
brother Britannicus had, after his adoption, greeted
him as usual as Ahenobarbus, he tried to convince his
father c that Britannicus was a changeling. Also

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autem Lepidam ream testimonio coram afflixit
gratificans matri, a qua rea premebatur.
2 Deductus in Forum tiro populo congiarium, militi
donativum proposuit indictaque decursione praeto-
rianis scutum sua manu praetulit ; exin patri
gratias in senatu egit. A pud eundem consul em
pro Bononiensibus Latine, pro Rhodiis atque Iliensi-
bus Graece verba fecit. Auspicatus est et iuris dictio-
nem praefectus urbi sacro Latinarum, celeberrimis
patronis non tralaticias, ut assolet, et brevis, sed
maximas plurimasque postulationes certatim ingeren-
tibus, quamvis interdictum a Claudio esset. Nec
multo post duxit uxorem Octaviam ediditque pro
Claudi salute circenses et venationem.

VIII. Septemdecim natus annos, ut de Claudio
palam factum est, inter horam sextam septimamque
processit ad excubitores, cum ob totius diei diritatem
non aliud auspicandi tempus accommodatius videre-
tur ; proque Palati gradibus imperator consalutatus
lectica in castra et inde raptim appellatis militibus in
curiam delatus est discessitque iam vesperi, ex
immensis, quibus cumulabatur, honoribus tantum
patri s patriae nomine recusato propter aetatem.

IX. Orsus hinc a pietatis ostentatione Claudium
apparatissimo funere elatum laudavit et 1 consecravit,

1 et, f ; not found in the earlier mss. ; the Roman edition es
principes have consecravitque.

° See noted on Claud, i. 3. 6 See note e on Claud, xlii. 1.
c Cf. Tao. Ann, 12. 68.

NERO

when his aunt Lepida was accused, he publicly gave
testimony against her, to gratify his mother, who was
using every effort to ruin Lepida.

At his formal introduction into public life he
announced a largess to the people and a gift of money
to the soldiers, ordered a drill a of the praetorians and
headed them shield in hand; and thereafter returned
thanks to his father in the senate. In the latter's con-
sulship he pleaded the cause of the people of Bononia
before him in Latin, and of those of Rhodes and
Ilium in Greek. His first appearance as judge was
when he was prefect of the city during the Latin
Festival, when the most celebrated pleaders vied
with one another in bringing before him, not trifling
and brief cases according to the usual custom, but
many of the highest importance, though this had
been forbidden by Claudius. Shortly afterwards he
took Octavia to wife and gave games and a beast-
baiting in the Circus, that health might be vouchsafed
Claudius.

VIII. When the death of Claudius was made 54a.d.
public, Nero, who was seventeen years old, went forth

to the watch b between the sixth and seventh hour,
since no earlier time for the formal beginning of his
reign seemed suitable because of bad omens through-
out the day. c Hailed emperor on the steps of the
Palace, he was carried in a litter to the praetorian
camp, and after a brief address to the soldiers was
taken from there to the House, which he did not
leave until evening, of the unbounded honours that
were heaped upon him refusing but one, the title of
father of his country, and that because of his youth.

IX. Then beginning with a display of filial piety,
he gave Claudius a magnificent funeral, spoke his

h 2

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Memoriae Domiti patris honores maximos habuit.
Matri summam omnium rerum privatarum publicarum-
que permisit. Primo etiam imperii die signum
excubanti tribuno dedit "optimam matrem" ac
deinceps eiusdem saepe lectica per publicum simul
vectus est. Antium coloniam deduxit ascriptis
veteranis e praetorio additisque per domicilii trans-
lationem ditissimis primipilarium ; ubi et portum
operis sumptuosissimi fecit.

X. Atque ut certiorem adhuc indolem ostenderet,
ex Augusti praescripto imperaturum se professus,
neque liberalitatis neque clementiae, ne comitatis
quidem exhibendae ullam occasionem omisit. 1 Gra-
viora vectigalia aut abolevit aut minuit. Praemia
delatorum Papiae legis ad quartas redegit. Divisis
populo viritim quadringenis nummis senatorum no-
bilissimo cuique, sed a re familiari destituto annua
salaria et quibusdam quingena constituit, item prae-
torianis cohortibus frumentum menstruum gratuitum.
2 Et cum de supplicio cuiusdam capite damnati ut ex
more subscriberet admoneretur: "Quam vellem,"
inquit, "nescire litteras." Omnis ordines subinde
ac memoriter salutavit. Agenti senatui gratias re-
spondit: "Cum meruero." Ad campestres exer-
citationes suas admisit et plebem declamavitque

1 omisit, RLP&TN (obm-, T) ; emisit, ft.

• See Claud, xix. » Cf. Veap. xvii

e Cf. Aug. liii. 3, nuUo iubmonente.

IOO

NERO

eulogy, and deified him. He pajd tne highest honours
to the memory of his father Domituis. He left to
his mother the management of all public and private
business. Indeed, on the first day of .his rule he gave
to the tribune on guard the watchword " The Best of
Mothers/' and afterwards he often rode With her
through the streets in her litter. He established a «i a.d.
colony at Antium, enrolling the veterans of the/ prae-
torian guard and joining with them the wealthresfrof
the chief centurions, whom he compelled to change J
their residence ; and he also made a harbour there .
at great expense. V - - .

X. To make his good intentions still more evident,
he declared that he would rule according to the *
principles of Augustus, and he let slip no opportunity
for acts of generosity and mercy, or even for display-
ing his affability. The more oppressive sources of
revenue he either abolishedor moderated. He reduced
the rewards paid to informers against violators of the
Papian law a to one fourth of the former amount. He
distributed four hundred sesterces to each man of
the people, and granted to the most distinguished of
the senators who were without means an annual
salary, 6 to some as much as five hundred thousand
sesterces ; and to the praetorian cohorts he gave a
monthly allowance of grain free of cost. When he
was asked according to custom to sign the warrant for
the execution of a man who had been condemned to
death, he said : " How I wish I had never learned to
write ! " He greeted men of all orders off-hand and
from memory. c When the senate returned thanks to
him, he replied, " When I shall have deserved them."
He admitted even the commons to witness his exer-
cises in the Campus, and often declaimed in public.

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saepius publice ; recftavit et carmina, non modo domi
sed et in theatrp/*tanta universorum laetitia, ut ob
recitationem supplicatio decreta sit eaque pars car-
rninum aurels'litteris lovi Capitolino dicata.

XI. Spectaculorum plurima et varia genera edidit :
iuvenaks/'circenses, scaenicos ludos, gladiatorium
muMus. • Juvenalibus senes quoque consulares anusque
rflatrottas recepit ad lusum. Circensibus loca equiti

v secrefa a ceteris tribuit commisitque etiam camelorum
^ qwatirigas. Ludis, quos pro aeternitate imperii
- -susceptos appellari "maximos" voluit, ex utroque
ordine et sexu plerique ludicras partes sustinuerunt ;
notissimus eques R. elephanto supersidens per
catadromum 1 decucurrit ; inducta Afrani togata, quae
Incendium inscribitur, 2 concessumque ut scaenici
ardentis domus supellectilem diriperent ac sibi
haberent; sparsa et populo missilia omnium rerum
per omnes dies : singula cotidie milia avium 3 cuiusque
generis, multiplex penus, tesserae frumentariae, vestis,
aurum, argentum, gemmae, margaritae, tabulae pictae,
mancipia, iumcnta atque etiam mansuetae ferae,
novissime naves, insulae, agri.

XII. Hos ludos spectavit e proscaeni fastigio.
Munere, quod in amphitheatro ligneo regione Martii

1 catadromum, ; gatadromum, fl.

2 inscribitur, Erasmus ; scribitur, ft.
8 avium, G$- ; aulum, ft ; aurum,

° An honour previously conferred only on generals after a
great victory ; cf. Jul. xxiv. 3, at the end.

6 That is, the part which he had read.

e In commemoration of the first shaving of his beard ; see
chap. xii. 4, below.

d This had previously been done only at the theatre (see

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He read his poems too, not only at home but in the
theatre as well, so greatly to the delight of all that a
thanksgiving a was voted because of his recital, while
that part 6 of his poems was inscribed in letters of
gold and dedicated to Jupiter of the Capitol.

XI. He gave many entertainments of different
kinds : the Juvenalesf chariot races in the Circus,
stage-plays, and a gladiatorial show. At the first
mentioned he had even old men of consular rank
and aged matrons take part. For the games in the
Circus he assigned places to the knights apart from
the rest, d and even matched chariots drawn by four
camels. At the plays which he gave for the " Eter-
nity of the Empire," which by his order were called
the Ludi Maximi, parts were taken by several men and
women of both the orders; a well known Roman
knight mounted an elephant and rode down a rope ; e
a Roman play of Afranius, too, was staged, entitled
" The Fire," and the actors were allowed to carry off
the furniture of the burning house and keep it.
Every day all kinds of presents were thrown to the
people ; these included a thousand birds of every
kind each day, various kinds of food, tickets for
grain, clothing, gold, silver, precious stones, pearls,
paintings, slaves, beasts of burden, and even trained
wild animals ; finally, ships, blocks of houses, and
farms.

XII. These plays he viewed from the top of the
proscenium. At the gladiatorial show, which he gave
in a wooden amphitheatre, erected in the district of

note on Jul. xxxix. 2) ; senators were first given special seats
at the Circus by Claudius ; see Claud, xxi. 3.

• A tight-rope, sloping downwards across the arena ; cf.
OcUba, vi.

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cam pi intra anni spatium fabricato dedit, neminem
occidit, ne noxiorum quidem. Exhibuit autem ad
ferrum etiam quadringentos senatores sescentosque
equites Romanos et quosdam fortunae atque existi-
mationis integrae, ex isdem ordinibus confectores quo-
que ferarum et varia harenae ministeria. Exhibuit
et naumachiam marina aqua innantibus beluis ; item
pyrrichas quasdam e numero epheborum, qiiibus post
editam operam diplomata civitatis Romanae singulis

2 optulit. Inter pyrricharum argumenta taurus Pasi-
phaam ligneo iuvencae simulacro abditam iniit, ut
multi spectantium crediderunt ; Icarus primo statim
conatu iuxta cubiculum eius decidit ipsumque cruore
respersit. Nam perraro praesidere, ceterum accubans,
parvis primum foraminibus, deinde toto podio adaperto
spectare consueverat.

3 Instituit et quinquennale certamen primus omnium
Romae more Graeco triplex, musicum gymnicum
equestre, quod appellavit Neronia; dedicatisque
thermis atque gymnasio senatui quoque et equiti
oleum praebuit. Magistros toto 1 certamini praeposuit
consulares sorte, sede praetorum. Deinde in or-
chestram senatumque descendit et orationis quidem

1 toto, fl; toti, r ; cf. Gaes. B.G. 7. 89; Prop. 3. 11. 57, etc.

a The musicians, machinists, etc. ; cf . Claud, xxxiv. 2.

* Cf. Jul. xxxix. 1. Originally war dances, their scope
was extended to pantomime of all kinds, as appears from
what follows. See note on Aug. xcviii. 3.

d The podium in the amphitheatre was a raised platform,
close to the arena, on which the imperial family, the curule
magistrates, and the Vestal virgins sat on curule chairs.
Nero reclined there on a couch.

In the broad sense, including poetry and oratory.

f The baths, the Thermae Neronianae, were in the Campus

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NERO

the Campus Martius within the space of a single year, 58 a.d.
he had no one put to death, not even criminals.
But he compelled four hundred senators and six
hundred Roman knights, some of whom were well
to do and of unblemished reputation, to fight in the
arena. Even those who fought with the wild beasts
and performed the various services in the arena a were
of the same orders. He also exhibited a naval battle
in salt water with sea monsters swimming about in
it ; besides pyrrhic dances b by some Greek youths,
handing each of them certificates of Roman citizenship
at the close of his performance. The pyrrhic dances
represented various scenes. In one a bull mounted
Pasiphae, who was concealed in a wooden image of
a heifer ; at least many of the spectators thought so.
Icarus at his very first attempt fell close by the
imperial couch and bespattered the emperor with his
blood ; for Nero very seldom presided at the games,
but used to view them while reclining on a couch, at
first through small openings, and then with the
entire balcony d uncovered.

He was likewise the first to establish at Rome a 60 a.d.
quinquennial contest in three parts, after the Greek
fashion, that is in music, e gymnastics, and riding,
which he called the Neronia ; at the same time he
dedicated his baths and gymnasium/ supplying
every member of the senatorial and equestrian
orders with oil. To preside over^ the whole con-
test he appointed ex-consuls, chosen by lot, who
occupied the seats of the praetors. Then he
went down into the orchestra among the senators

Martins, near the Pantheon. The gymnasium, the first per-
manent building of the kind at Rome, was attached to the
baths. ' And to act as judges.

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carminisque Latini coronam, de qua honestissimus
quisque contenderat, ipsorum consensu concessam
sibi recepit, citharae autem a iudicibus ad se delatam

4 adoravit ferrique ad Augusti statuam iussit. Gymnico,
quod in Saeptis edebat, inter buthysiae apparatum
barbam primam posuit conditamque in auream
pyxidem et pretiosissimis margaritis adornatam
Capitolio consecravit. Ad athletarum spectaculum
invitavit et virgines Vestales, quia Olympiae quoque
Cereris sacerdotibus spectare conceditur.

XIII. Non immerito inter spectacula ab eo edita
et Tiridatis in urbem introitum rettulerim. Quern
Armeniae regem magnis pollicitationibus sollicitatum,
cum destinato per edictum die ostensurus populo
propter nubilum distulisset, produxit quo opportunis-
sime potuit, dispositis circa Fori templa armatis
cohortibus, curuli residens apud rostra triumphantis

2 habitu inter signa militaria atque vexilla. Et primo
per devexum pulpitum subeuntem admisit ad genua
adlevatumque dextra exosculatus est, dein precanti
tiara 1 deducta diadema inposuit, verba supplicis
interpretata praetorio viro multitudini pronuntiante ;
perductum inde in theatrum ac rursus supplicantem

1 tiara deducta, $- ; diariam deductam, n.
• Cf. Aug. xliv. 3.

106

• Of Pompey.

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NERO

and accepted the prize for Latin oratory and verse,
for which all the most eminent men had contended
but which was given to him with their unanimous
consent ; but when that for lyre-playing was also
offered him by the judges, he knelt before it and
ordered that it be laid at the feet of Augustus'
statue. At the gymnastic contest, which he gave in
the Saepta, he shaved his first beard to the accom-
paniment of a splendid sacrifice of bullocks, put it
in a golden box adorned with pearls of great price,
and dedicated it in the Capitol. He invited the
Vestal virgins also to witness the contests of the
athletes/ 1 because at Olympia the priestesses of Ceres
were allowed the same privilege.

XIII. I may fairly include among his shows the
entrance of Tiridates into the city. He was a king
of Armenia, whom Nero induced by great promises
to come to Rome ; and since he was prevented by
bad weather from exhibiting him to the people on
the day appointed by proclamation, he produced him
at the first favourable opportunity, with the prae-
torian cohorts drawn up in full armour about the
temples in the Forum, while he himself sat in a
curule chair on the rostra in the attire of a
triumphing general, surrounded by military ensigns
and standards. As the king approached along a
sloping platform, the emperor at first let him fall at
his feet, but raised him with his right hand and
kissed him. Then, while the king made supplication,
Nero took the turban from his head and replaced it
with a diadem, while a man of praetorian rank trans-
lated the words of the suppliant and proclaimed them
to the throng. From there the king was taken to the
theatre, 6 and when he had again done obeisance,

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iuxta se latere dextro conlocavit. Ob quae imperator
consalutatus, laurea in Capitolium lata, Ianum
geminuin clausit, tamquam nullo 1 residuo bello.

XIV. Consulatus quattuor gessit : primum bimen-
strem, secundum et novissimum semenstres, tertium
quadrimenstrem ; medios duos continuavit, reliquos
inter annua spatia variavit.

XV. In iuris dictione postulatoribus nisi sequenti
die ac per libellos non temere respondit. Cognoscendi
morem eum tenuit, ut continuis actionibus omissis
singillatim quaeque per vices ageret. 2 Quotiens autem
ad consultandum secederet, neque in commune
quicquam neque propalam deliberabat, sed et con-
scriptas ab uno quoque sententias tacitus ac secreto
legens, quod ipsi libuisset perinde atque pluribus
idem videretur pronuntiabat.

2 In curiam libertinorum filios diu non admisit ;
admissis a prioribus principibus honores denegavit.
Candidates, qui supra numerum essent, in solacium
dilationis ac morae legionibus praeposuit. Consulatum
in senos plerumque menses dedit. Defunctoque circa
Kal. Ian. altero e consulibus neminem substituit
improbans exemplum vetus Canini Rebili uno die
consulis. Triumphalia ornamenta etiam quaestoriae

1 tamquam nullo, Faemus and Lipsius ; tam nullo quam, fl.
8 ageret, T 7 ; omitted by MOLP ; quaereret, Biicheler.

° See note on Aug. xiii. 2.

* This was usual only when a triumph was celebrated.
c See note on Aug. xxii.

d He assumed a fifth consulship in 68 ; see chap, xliii. below.

• See Jul. lxxvi. 2, where, however, the man's name is not
mentioned.

108

NERO

Nero gave him a seat at his right hand. Because of
all this Nero was hailed as Imperator/* and after
depositing a laurel wreath in the Capitol, 6 he closed
the two doors of the temple of Janus/ as a sign that
no war was left anywhere.

XIV. He held four consulships, the first for two 55, 57, 58,
months, the second and the last for six months each, GOa - d -
the third for four months. The second and third

were in successive years, while a year intervened
between these and each of the others. d

XV. In the administration of justice he was
reluctant to render a decision to those who presented
cases, except on the following day and in writing.
The procedure was, instead of continuous pleadings,
to have each point presented separately by the
parties in turn. Furthermore, whenever he with-
drew for consultation, he did not discuss any matter
with all his advisers in a body, but had each of them
give his opinion in written form ; these he read
silently and in private and then gave a verdict
according to his own inclination, as if it were the
view of the majority.

For a long time he would not admit the sons of
freedmen to the senate and he refused office to those
who had been admitted by his predecessors.
Candidates who were in excess of the number of
vacancies received the command of a legion as
compensation for the postponement and delay.
He commonly appointed consuls for a period of six
months. When one of them died just before the
Kalends of January, he appointed no one in his
place, expressing his disapproval of the old-time case
of Caninius Rebilus, the twenty-four hour consul.*
He conferred the triumphal regalia even on men of the

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dignitatis et nonnullis ex equestri ordine tribuit nec
utique de causa militari. De quibusdam rebus
orationes ad senatum missas praeterito quaestoris
officio per consulem plerumque recitabat.

XVI. Formam aedificiorum urbis novam excogitavit
et ut ante insulas ac domos porticus essent, de
quarum 1 solariis incendia arcerentur ; easque sumptu
suo exstruxit. Destinarat etiam Ostia tenus moenia
promovere atque inde fossa mare veteri urbi in-
ducere.

2 Multa sub eo et animad versa severe et coercita nec
minus instituta: adhibitus sumptibus modus ; publicae
cenae ad sportulas redactae ; interdictum ne quid in
popinis cocti praeter legumina aut holera veniret, cum
antea nullum non obsonii genus proponeretur ; afflicti
suppliciis Christiani, genus hominum superstitionis
novae ac maleficae ; vetiti quadrigariorum lusus, qui-
bus inveterata licentia passim vagantibus fallere ac
furari per iocum ius erat; pantomimorum factiones
cum ipsis simul relegatae.

XVII. Adversus falsarios tunc primum repertum,
ne tabulae nisi pertusae ac ter lino per foramina
traiecto obsignarentur ; cautum ut testamentis primae

° See Aug. lxv. 2.

6 This was undoubtedly after the great fire ; see chap.

c Various attempts had however been made to check this
form of luxury ; see note on Claud, xl. 1.

d Because of their disorderly conduct ; see chap xxvL 2,
and Tac. Ann. 13. 25.

• The tablets consisted of three leaves, two of which were
bound together and sealed. The contract was written twice,
on the open leaf and on the closed ones. In cases of dispute

1 quarum, UQ ; quorum, 11.

xxxvni.

NERO

rank of quaestor, as well as on some of the knights,
and sometimes for other than military services.
As regards the speeches which he sent to the senate
on various matters, he passed over the quaestors,
whose duty it was to read them, and usually had
them presented by one of the consuls.

XVI. He devised a new form for the buildings of
the city and in front of the houses and apartments
he erected porches, from the flat roofs of which fires
could be fought ; b and these he put up at his own
cost. He had also planned to extend the walls as
far as Ostia and to bring the sea from there to Rome
by a canal.

During his reign many abuses were severely
punished and put down, and no fewer new laws
were made : a limit was set to expenditures ; the
public banquets were confined to a distribution of
food ; the sale of any kind of cooked viands in the
taverns was forbidden, with the exception of pulse
and vegetables, whereas before every sort of dainty
was exposed for sale. c Punishment was inflicted on
the Christians, a class of men given to a new and
mischievous superstition. He put an end to the
diversions of the chariot drivers, who from immunity
of long standing claimed the right of ranging at
large and amusing themselves by cheating and
robbing the people. The pantomimic actors and
their partisans were banished from the city. d

XVII. It was in his reign that a protection
against forgers was first devised, by having no tablets
signed that were not bored with holes through
which a cord was thrice passed. 6 In the case of

the seals were broken in the presence of the signers and the
two versions compared.

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duae cerae testatorum modo nomine inscripto vacuae
signaturis ostenderentur, ac ne qui alieni testamenti
scriptor legatum sibi ascriberet ; item ut litigatores
pro patrociniis certam iustamque mercedem, pro sub-
sellis nullam omnino darent praebente aerario gratuita;
utque rerum actu ab aerario causae ad Forum ac re-
ciperatores transferrentur et ut omnes appellationes a
iudicibus ad senatum fierent.

XVIII. Augendi propagandique imperii neque
voluntate ulla neque spe motus umquam, etiam ex
Britannia deducere exercitum cogitavit, nec nisi
verecundia, ne obtrectare parentis gloriae videretur,
destitit. Ponti modo regnum concedente Polemone,
item Alpium defuncto Cottio in provinciae formam
redegit.

XIX. Peregrinationes duas omnino suscepit, Alex-
andrinam et Achaicam ; sed Alexandrina ipso pro-
fectionis die destitit turbatus religione simul ac
periculo. Nam cum circumitis templis in aede
Vestae resedisset, consurgenti ei primum lacinia
obhaesit, dein tanta oborta caligo est, ut dispicere 1 non

2 posset. In Achaia Isthmum perfodere adgressus
praetorianos pro contione ad incohandum opus co-

a As witnesses. The testator afterwards wrote the names
of the heirs on these leaves.

b The Cincian law of 204 B.C. forbade fees. Augustus
renewed the law in 17 B.C. (Dio, 54. 18). Claudius limited fees
to 10,000 sesterces (Tac. Ann. 11. 5-6). The senate again
abolished fees at the beginning of Nero's reign (Tac. Ann.
13. 5), but Nero apparently revived the law of Claudius,
with a provision against the addition of " costs."

c Instead of coming before the prefects of the treasury ;
cf. Claud, ix. 2.

dispicere, 5- ; despicere, ft.

112

NERO

wills it was provided that the first two leaves
should be presented to the signatories ° with only the
name of the testator written upon them, and that no
one who wrote a will for another should put down
a legacy for himself ; further, that clients should pay
a fixed and reasonable fee for the services of their
advocates, 6 but nothing at all for benches, which
were to be furnished free of charge by the public
treasury ; finally as regarded the pleading of cases,
that those connected with the treasury should be
transferred to the Forum c and a board of arbiters,
and that any appeal from the juries should be made
to the senate.

XVII I. So far from being actuated by any wish or
hope of increasing or extending the empire, he even
thought of withdrawing the army from Britain and
changed his purpose only because he was ashamed to
seem to belittle the glory of his father. d He in-
creased the provinces only by the realm of Pontus,
when it was given up by Polemon, and that of Cottius
in the Alps on the latter s death.

XIX. He planned but two foreign tours, to Alex-
andria and Achaia; and he gave up the former
on the very day when he was to have started,
disturbed by a threatening portent. For as he was
making the round of the temples and had sat
down in the shrine of Vesta, first the fringe of his
garment caught when he attempted to get up, and
then such darkness overspread his eyes that he could
see nothing. In Achaia he attempted to cut
through the Isthmus e and called together the prae-
torians and urged them to begin the work; then

d That is, his adoptive father Claudius.
• Of Corinth ; cf. Jul. xliv. 3.

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hortatus est tubaque signo dato primus rastello
humum effodit et corbulae congestam umeris extulit.
Parabat et ad Caspias portas expeditionem conscripta
ex Italicis senum pedum tironibus nova legione, quam
Magni Alexandri phalanga appellabat.

3 Haec partim nulla reprehensione, partim etiam
non mediocri laude digna in unum contuli, ut
secernerem a probris ac sceleribus eius, de quibus
dehinc dicam.

XX. Inter ceteras discipb'nas pueritiae tempore
imbutus et musica, statim ut imperium adeptus est,
Terpnum citharoedum vigentem tunc praeter alios
arcessiit diebusque continuis post cenam canenti in
multam noctem assidens paulatim et ipse meditari
exercerique coepit neque eorum quicquam omittere,
quae generis eius artifices vel conservandae vocis
causa vel augendae factitarent ; sed et plumbeam
chartam supinus pectore sustinere et clystere vomitu-
que purgari et abstinere pomis cibisque officientibus ;
donee blandiente profectu, quamquam exiguae vocis
et fuscae, prodire in scaenam concupiit, subinde inter
familiares Graecum proverbium iactans occultae

2 musicae nullum esse respectum. Et prodit Neapoli 1
primuin ac ne concusso quidem repente motu terrae
theatro ante cantare destitit, quam incohatum absol-
* Neapoli, TlQ; the other mss. have Neapolim.

a Roman measure ; a little under 5ft. lOin. English.
6 Cf. GelL 13. 31. 3.

c It collapsed in consequence, but not until the audience
had dispersed ; see Tac. Ann. 15. 34.

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NERO

at a signal given on a trumpet he was first to
break ground with a mattock and to carry off a
basketful of earth upon his shoulders. He also
prepared for an expedition to the Caspian Gates,
after enrolling a new legion of raw recruits of Italian
birth, each six feet tall/ 1 which he called the
" phalanx of Alexander the Great."

I have brought together these acts of his, some of
which are beyond criticism, while others are even
deserving of no slight praise, to separate them from
his shameful and criminal deeds, of which I shall
proceed now to give an account.

XX. Having gained some knowledge of music in t
addition to the rest of his early education, as soon as
he became emperor he sent for Terpnus, the greatest
master of the lyre in those days, and after listening
to him sing after dinner for many successive days
until late at night, he little by little began to
practise himself, neglecting none of the exercises
which artists of that kind are in the habit of
following, to preserve or strengthen their voices.
For he used to lie upon his back and hold a leaden
plate on his chest, purge himself by the syringe and
by vomiting, and deny himself fruits and all foods
injurious to the voice. Finally encouraged by his
progress, although his voice was weak and husky, he
began to long to appear on the stage, and every
now and then in the presence of his intimate friends
he would quote a Greek proverb meaning " Hidden
music counts for nothing." 6 And he made his debut
at Naples, where he did not cease singing until he
had finished the number which he had begun, even
though the theatre was shaken by a sudden earth-
quake shock. In the same city he sang frequently

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veret nomon. Ibidem saepius et per complures
cantavit dies ; sumpto etiam ad reficiendam vocem
brevi tempore, impatiens secreti a balineis in theatrum
transiit mediaque in orchestra frequente populo
epulatus, si paulum subbibisset, aliquid se suflferti 1
3 tinniturum Graeco sermone promisit. Captus autem
modulatis Alexandrinorum laudationibus, qui de novo
commeatu Neapolim confluxerant, plures Alexandria
evocavit. Neque eo segnius adulescentulos equestris
ordinis et quinque amplius milia e plebe robustissimae
iuventutis undique elegit, qui divisi in factiones
plausuum genera condiscerent — bombos et imbrices
et testas vocabant — operamque navarent cantanti sibi,
insignes pinguissima coma et excellentissimo cultu,
puns 2 ac sine anulo laevis, 3 quorum duces quadringena
milia sestertia 4 merebant.

XXI. Cum magni aestimaret cantare etiam Romae,
Neroneum agona ante praestitutam diem revocavit
flagitantibusque cunctis caelestem vocem respondit
quidem in hortis se copiam volentibus facturum, sed
adiuvante vulgi preces etiam statione militum, quae
tunc excubabat, repraesentaturum se pollicitus est
libens ; ac sine mora nomen suum in albo profitentium
citharoedorum iussit ascribi sorticulaque in urnam
cum ceteris demissa intra vit ordine suo, simul praefecti

1 sufferti, first Venetian ed.; sufferi, MO; the other mss.
have sufferri.

2 puris, P 2 {Bentley) ; pueris, MXS ; pueri, GT.

8 laevis, G, and P in a later hand ; laeviis, M ; levis, T.
4 sestertia, n ; sestertium is commonly read.

a Literally, "full-packed," i.e. full of sound, sonorous.
6 The first seems to have derived its name from the sound,
which was like the humming of bees, the second and third

NERO

and for several successive days. Even when he took
a short time to rest his voice, he could not keep out
of sight but went to the theatre after bathing and
dined in the orchestra with the people all about
him, promising them in Greek, that when he had
wetted his whistle a bit, he would ring out something
good and loud.° He was greatly taken too with
the rhythmic applause of some Alexandrians, who
had flocked to Naples from a fleet that had lately
arrived, and summoned more men from Alexandria.
Not content with that, he selected some young men
of the order of knights and more than five thousand
sturdy young commoners, to be divided into groups
and learn the Alexandrian styles of applause (they
called them " the bees," " the roof-tiles," and " the
bricks"), 6 and to ply them vigorously whenever
he sang. These men were noticeable for their thick
hair and fine apparel ; their left hands were bare and
without rings, and the leaders were paid four
hundred thousand sesterces each.

XXI. Considering it of great importance to appear
in Rome as well, he repeated the contest of the Ne-
ronia c before the appointed time, and when there was
a general call for his " divine voice," he replied that if
any wished to hear him, he would favour them in the
gardens ; but when the guard of soldiers which was
then on duty seconded the entreaties of the people,
he gladly agreed to appear at once. So without
delay he had his name added to the list of the lyre-
players who entered the contest, and casting his own
lot into the urn with the rest, he came forward in his
turn, attended by the prefects of the Guard carry-

from clapping with the hands rounded or hollowed, like roof-
tiles, or flat, like bricks or fiat tiles. See chap. xii. 3.

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praetorii citharam sustinentes, post tribuni militum

2 iuxtaque amicorum intimi. Utque constitit, peracto
principio, Nipbam 1 se cantaturum per Cluviuui Rufum
consularem pronuntiavit et in horam fere decimam
perseveravit coronamque earn et reliquam certaminis
partem in annum sequentem distulit, ut saepius
canendi occasio esset. Quod cum tardum videretur,
non cessavit identidem se publicare. Dubitavit etiam
an privatis spectaculis operam inter scaenicos daret
quodam praetorum sestertium decies ofFerente.

3 Tragoedias quoque cantavit personatus heroum
deorumque, item heroidum ac dearum, personis
effectis ad similitudinem oris sui et feminae, prout
quamque diligeret. Inter cetera cantavit Canacen
parturientem, Orcsten matricidam, Oedipodem 2 ex-
caecatuin, Herculem insanum. In qua fabula fama
est tirunculum militem positum ad custodiam aditus,
cum eum ornari ac vinciri catenis, sicut argumentum
postulabat, videret, accurrisse ferendae opis gratia.

XXII. Equorum studio vel praecipue ab ineunte
aetate flagravit plurimusque illi sermo, quanquam
vetaretur, de circensibus erat ; et quondam tractum
prasinum 3 agitatorem inter condiscipulos querens,
obiurgante paedagogo, de Hectore se loqui ementitus

1 Nioba, G ; Nioban, Mr ; Nipbem, X.

2 edipode, G ; the other mas. have Oedipoden.

3 prasinum, 5-; prasim, LSI 1 ; prasu, P ; prasiniu, Q.

Probably asking for the favourable attention of the
audience ; cf. Dio, 61. 20 and chap, xxiii. 3.
6 That is, those given by the magistrates ; under the

118

NERO

ing his lyre, and followed by the tribunes of the
soldiers and his intimate friends. Having taken his
place and finished his preliminary speech/ 1 he announ-
ced through the ex-consul Cluvius Rufusthat"he
would sing Niobe " ; and he kept at it until late in the
afternoon, putting off the award of the prize for that
event and postponing the rest of the contest to the
next year, to have an excuse for singing oftener.
But since even that seemed too long to wait, he
did not cease to appear in public from time to time.
He even thought of taking part in private perform-
ances 6 among the professional actors, when one of
the praetors offered him a million sesterces. He
also put on the mask and sang tragedies representing
gods and heroes and even heroines and goddesses,
having the masks fashioned in the likeness of his
own features or those of the women of whom he
chanced to be enamoured. Among other themes he
sang " Canace in Labor," " Orestes the Matricide,"
" The Blinding of Oedipus " and the " Frenzy of
Hercules." At the last named performance they
say that a young recruit, seeing the emperor in
mean attire and bound with chains, as the subject
required, rushed forward to lend him aid.

XXII. From his earliest years he had a special
passion for horses and talked constantly about the
games in the Circus, though he was forbidden to do
so. c Once when he was lamenting with his fellow
pupils the fate of a charioteer of the " Greens," d who
was dragged by his horses, and his preceptor scolded
him, he told a lie and pretended that he was

Empire all but the emperor were privati, regardless of their
official positions. c By his guardian and teachers.

rf See note on Ccdig. lv. 2,

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est. Sed cum inter initia imperii eburneis quadrigis
cotidie in abaco luderet, ad omnis etiam minimos
circenses e secessu commeabat, primo clam, deinde
propalam, ut nemini dubium esset eo die utique

2 afFuturum. Neque dissimulabat velle se palmarum
numerum ampliari ; quare spectaculum multiplicatis
missibus in serum protrahebatur, ne dominis quidem
iam factionum dignantibus nisi ad totius diei cursum
greges ducere. Mox et ipse aurigare atque etiam
spectari saepius voluit positoque in hortis inter servitia
et sordidam plebem rudimento universorum se oculis
in Circo Maximo praebuit, aliquo liberto mitten te

3 mappam unde magistratus solent. Nec contentus
harum artium experimenta Romae dedisse, Achaiam,
ut diximus, petit hinc maxime motus. Instituerant
civitates, apud quas musici agones edi solent, omnes
citharoedorum coronas ad ipsum mittere. Eas adeo
grate recipiebat, ut legatos, qui pertulissent, non
modo primos admitteret, sed etiam familiaribus epu-
lis interponeret. A quibusdam ex his rogatus ut
cantaret super cenam, exceptusque effusius, solos scire
audire Graecos solosque se et studiis suis dignos ait.
Nec profectione dilata, ut primum Cassiopen traiecit,

° The signal for the start. 6 Chap. xix. 1.

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talking of Hector. At the beginning of his reign he
used to play every day with ivory chariots on a board,
and he came from the country to all the games, even
the most insignificant, at first secretly, and then so
openly that no one doubted that he would be in Rome
on that particular day. He made no secret of his
wish to have the number of prizes increased, and in
consequence more races were added and the per-
formance was continued to a late hour, while the
managers of the troupes no longer thought it worth
while to produce their drivers at all except for a full
day's racing. He soon longed to drive a chariot
himself and even to show himself frequently in
public ; so after a trial exhibition in his gardens before
his slaves and the dregs of the populace, he gave all
an opportunity of seeing him in the Circus Maximus,
one of his freedmen dropping the napkin* from
the place usually occupied by the magistrates.

Not content with showing his proficiency in these
arts at Rome, he went to Achaia, as I have said, 6 in-
fluenced especially by the following consideration.
The cities in which it was the custom to hold contests
in music had adopted the rule of sending all the lyric
prizes to him. These he received with the greatest
delight, not only giving audience before all others to
the envoys who brought them, but even inviting
them to his private table. When some of them
begged him to sing after dinner and greeted his
performance with extravagant applause, he declared
that "the Greeks were the only ones who had an
ear for music and that they alone were worthy
of his efforts." So he took ship without delay
and immediately on arriving at Cassiope made a
preliminary appearance as a singer at the altar of

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statim ad aram Iovis Cassii cantare auspicatus
certamina deinceps obiit omnia.

XXIII. Nam et quae diversissimorum temporum
sunt, cogi in unum annum, quibusdam etiam iteratis,
iussit et Olympiae quoque praeter consuetudinem
musicum agona commisit. Ac ne quid circa haec
occupatum avocaret detineretve, cum praesentia eius
urbicas res egere a liberto Helio admoneretur,
rescripsit his verbis : " Quamvis nunc tuum consilium
sit et votum celeriter reverti me, tamen suadere et
optare potius debes, ut Nerone dignus revertar."

2 Cantante eo ne necessaria quidem causa excedere
theatro licitum est. Itaque et enixae quaedam in
spectaculis dicuntur et multi taedio audiendi laudan-
dique clausis oppidorum portis aut furtim desiluisse
de muro aut morte simulata funere elati. Quam
autem trepide anxieque certaverit, quanta adver-
sariorum aemulatione, quo metu iudicum, vix credi
potest. Adversarios, quasi plane condicionis eiusdem,
observare, captare, infamare secreto, nonnumquam
ex occursu maledictis incessere ac, si qui arte prae-

3 cellerent, conrumpere etiam solebat. Iudices autem
prius quam inciperet reverentissime adloquebatur,
omnia se facienda fecisse, sed eventum in manu esse

• Cf. Juv. viii. 224 ff.

b Of the theatre ; for a similar use of mums see chap,
xxx viii. 1.

c Oppida, the term applied to the towers and other
structures at the entrance to the Circus, seems to be used
here of the corresponding part of the theatre.

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Jupiter Cassius, and then went the round of all the
contests.®

XXIII. To make this possible, he gave orders that
even those which were widely separated in time
should be brought together in a single year, so that
some had even to be given twice, and he introduced
a musical competition at Olympia also, contrary to
custom. To avoid being distracted or hindered in any
way while busy with these contests, he replied to his
freedman Helius, who reminded him that the affairs
of the city required his presence, in these words :
" However much it may be your advice and your
wish that I should return speedily, yet you ought
rather to counsel me and to hope that I may return
worthy of Nero."

While he was singing no one was allowed to
leave the theatre even for the most urgent reasons.
And so it is said that some women gave birth to
children there, while many who were worn out with
listening and applauding, secretly leaped from the
wall, 6 since the gates at the entrance c were closed, or
feigned death and were carried out as if for burial.
The trepidation and anxiety with which he took part
in the contests, his keen rivalry of his opponents and
his awe of the judges, can hardly be credited. As if
his rivals were of quite the same station as himself, he
used to show respect to them and try to gain their
favour, while he slandered them behind their backs,
sometimes assailed them with abuse when he met
them, and even bribed those who were especially
proficient.

Before beginning, he would address the judges in
the most deferential terms, saying that he had
done all that could be done, but the issue was in the

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Fortunae ; illos ut sapientis et doctos viros fortuita
debere excludere; atque, ut auderet hortantibus,
aequiore animo recedebat, ac ne sic quidem sine solli-
citudine, taciturnitatem pudoremque quorundam pro
tristitia et malignitate arguens suspectosque sibi
dicens.

XXIV. In certando vero ita legi oboediebat, ut
numquam exscreare ausus sudorem quoque frontis
brachio detergeret; atque etiam in tragico quodam
actu, cum elapsum baculum cito resumpsisset, pavidus
et metuens ne ob delictum certamine summoveretur,
non aliter confirmatus est quam adiurante hypocrita
non animadversum id inter exsultationes succlama-
tionesque populi. Victorem autem se ipse pronun-
tiabat ; qua de causa et praeconio ubique contendit.
Ac ne cuius alterius hieronicarum memoria aut
vestigium exstaret usquam, subverti et unco trahi
abicique in latrinas omnium statuas et imagines
2 imperavit. Aurigavit quoque plurifariam, Olympiis
vero etiam decemiugem, quamvis id ipsum in rege
Mithradate 1 carmine quodam suo reprehendisset ;
sed excussus curru ac rursus repositus, cum per-
durare non posset, destitit ante decursum ; neque eo
setius coronatus est. Decedens deinde provinciam
universam libertate donavit simulque iudices civitate

1 Mithradate, M ; the other msa. have Mithridate or
Mitridate.

a The use of a handkerchief was not allowed; see also
Tac. Ann. 16. 4.

b The hypocrites (hypocrita) made the gestures and accom-
panied the tragic actor on the flute, as he spoke his lines.

c The heralds for the great festivals were selected by
competition among the rival candidates.

d The Greek term hieronices f " victor in the sacred games,"
indicates the religious nature of the festivals.

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NERO

hands of Fortune; they however, being men of
wisdom and experience, ought to exclude what was
fortuitous. When they bade him take heart, he
withdrew with greater confidence, but not even then
without anxiety, interpreting the silence and modesty
of some as sullenness and ill-nature, and declaring
that he had his suspicions of them.

XXIV. In competition he observed the rules most
scrupulously, never daring to clear his throat and even
wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm." Once
indeed, during the performance of a tragedy, when
he had dropped his sceptre but quickly recovered it,
he was terribly afraid that he might be excluded
from the competition because of his slip, and his
confidence was restored only when his accompanist b
swore that it had passed unnoticed amid the delight
and applause of the people. When the victory was
won, he made the announcement himself ; and for
that reason he always took part in the contests of
the heralds. 6 To obliterate the memory of all other
victors in the games d and leave no trace of them,
their statues and busts were all thrown down by his
order, dragged off with hooks, and cast into privies.

He also drove a chariot in many places, at Olympia
even a ten-horse team, although in one of his own
poems he had criticised Mithridates for just that
thing. But after he had been thrown from the car
and put back in it, he was unable to hold out and
gave up before the end of the course ; but he
received the crown just the same. On his departure
he presented the entire province with freedom e and
at the same time gave the judges Roman citizenship

• That is, with local self-government, not with actual
independence.

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Romana et pecunia grandi. Quae beneficia e medio
stadio Isthmiorum die sua ipse voce pronuntiavit.

XXV. Reversus e Graecia Neapolim, quod in ea
primum artem protulerat, albis equis introiit disiecta
parte muri, ut mos hieronicarum est ; simili modo
Antium, inde Albanum, inde Romam; sed et
Romam eo curru, quo Augustus olim triumphaverat,
et in veste purpurea distinctaque stellis aureis
chlamyde coronamque capite gerens Olympiacam,
dextra manu Pythiam, praeeunte pompa ceterarum
cum titulis, ubi et quos quo cantionum quove
fabularum argumento vicisset; sequentibus currum
ovantium ritu plausoribus, Augustianos militesque se

2 triumphi eius clamitantibus. Dehinc diruto Circi
Maximi arcu per Velabrum Forumque Palatium et
Apollinem petit. Incedenti passim victimae caesae
sparso per vias identidem croco ingestaeque aves ac
lemnisci et bellaria. Sacras coronas in cubiculis
circum lectos posuit, item statuas suas citharoedico

3 habitu, qua nota etiam nummum percussit. Ac
post haec tantum afuit a remittendo laxandoque
studio, ut conservandae vocis gratia neque milites
umquam, nisi absens aut alio verba pronuntiante,

° See note d on chap. xxiv. 6 See chap. xx. 3.

To make more room for the procession, which passed
through the Circus (Dio, 63. 20). The reference is probably
to the gateway at the eastern end, through which the pro-
cession entered and passed out again, after marching around
the spina (see note on Claud, xxi. 3). Suetonius mentions
only the exit from the Circus. In his time the gateway was
formed by the Arch of Vespasian and Titus, erected by
Domitian in 81 a.d.

d That is, song-birds, as a compliment to Nero's voice ;
the other offerings were also typical of his art and his
triumph.

126

NERO

and a large sum of money. These favours he
announced in person on the day of the Isthmian
Games, standing in the middle of the stadium.

XXV. Returning from Greece, since it was at
Naples that he had made his first appearance, he
entered that city with white horses through a part of
the wall which had been thrown down, as is customary
with victors in the sacred games. a In like manner
he entered Antium, then Albanum, and finally Rome ;
but at Rome he rode in the chariot which Augustus
had used in his triumphs in days gone by, and wore
a purple robe and a Greek cloak adorned with stars
of gold, bearing on his head the Olympic crown and
in his right hand the Pythian, while the rest were
carried before him with inscriptions telling where
he had won them and against what competitors, and
giving the titles of the songs or the subject of the
plays. His car was followed by his claque 6 as by the
escort of a triumphal procession, who shouted that
they were the attendants of Augustus and the
soldiers of his triumph. Then through the arch of
the Circus Maximus, which was thrown down, c he
made his way across the Velabrum and the Forum to
the Palatine and the temple of Apollo. All along
the route victims were slain, the streets were
sprinkled from time to time with perfume, while
birds, d ribbons, and sweetmeats were showered upon
him. He placed the sacred crowns in his bed-
chambers around his couches, as well as statues
representing him in the guise of a lyre-player ; and
he had a coin too struck with the same device. So
far from neglecting or relaxing his practice of the
art after this, he never addressed the soldiers except
by letter or in a speech delivered by another, to save

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appellaret neque quicquam serio iocove egerit, nisi
astante phonasco, qui moneret parceret arteriis ac
sudarium ad os applicaret; multisque vel amicitiam
suam optulerit vel simultatem indixerit, prout
quisque se magis parciusve laiidasset.

XXVI. Petulantiam, libidinem, luxuriam, avaritiam,
crudelitatem sensim quidem primo et occulte et velut
iuvenili errore exercuit, sed ut tunc quoque dubium
nemini foret naturae ilia vitia, non aetatis esse. Post
crepusculum statim adrepto pilleo vel galero popinas
inibat circumque vicos vagabatur ludibundus nec sine
pernicie tamen, siquidem redeuntis a cena verberare
ac repugnantes vulnerare cloacisque demergere
assuerat, tabernas etiam effringere et expilare ; quin-
tana domi constituta, ubi partae et ad licitationem
2 dividendae praedae pretium absumeretur. Ac saepe
in eius modi rixis oculorum et vitae periculum adiit,
a quodam laticlavio, cuius uxorem adtrectaverat, prope
ad necem caesus. Quare numquam postea publico
se illud horae sine tribunis commisit procul et occulte
subsequentibus. Interdiu quoque clam gestatoria
sella delatus in theatrum seditionibus pantomimorum
e parte proscaeni su peri ore signifer simul ac spectator
aderat ; et cum ad manus ventum esset lapidibusque
et subselliorum fragminibus decerneretur, multa et

° Cf. Aug. lxxxiv. 2.

6 Quintana is really the market of a camp, named from
the Quintana via, one of the streets of a Roman camp, on
which the market was regularly placed.

c See note on chap. v. 1.

d Julius Montanus ; see Tac. Ann. 13. 25.

• And their bands of partisans ; see chap. xvi. 2.

128

NERO

his voice ; and he never did anything for amusement
or in earnest without an elocutionist by his side,
to warn him to spare his vocal organs and hold
a handkerchief to his mouth. To many men he
offered his friendship or announced his hostility,
according as they had applauded him lavishly or
grudgingly.

XXVI. Although at first his acts of wantonness, u
lust, extravagance, avarice and cruelty were gradual
and secret, and might be condoned as follies of
youth, yet even then their nature was such that no
one doubted that they were defects of his character
and not due to his time of life. No sooner was
twilight over than he would catch up a cap or a wig
and go to the taverns or range about the streets
playing pranks, which however were very far from
harmless ; for he used to beat men as they came
home from dinner, stabbing any who resisted him
and throwing them into the sewers. He would even
break into shops and rob them, setting up a market 6
in the Palace, where he divided the booty which he
took, sold it at auction, and then squandered the
proceeds. In the strife which resulted he often ran
the risk of losing his eyes e or even his life, for he
was beaten almost to death by a man of the senatorial
order/* whose wife he had maltreated. Warned by
this, he never afterwards ventured to appear in
public at that hour without having tribunes follow
him at a distance and unobserved. Even in the day-
time he would be carried privately to the theatre in
a sedan, and from the upper part of the proscenium
would watch the brawls of the pantomimic actors 6
and egg them on ; and when they came to blows
and fought with stones and broken benches, he

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ipse iecit in populum atque etiam praetoris caput

consauciavit.

XXVII. Paulatim vero invalescentibus vitiis iocu-
laria et latebras omisit nullaque dissimulandi cura ad
maiora palam erupit.

2 Epulas a medio die ad mediam noctem pro-
trahebat, refotus saepius calidis piscinis ac tempore
aestivo nivatis; cenitabatque nonnumquam et in
publico, naumachia praeclusa vel Martio campo vel
Circo Maximo, inter scortorum totius urbis et

3 ambubaiarum ministeria. Quotiens Ostiam Tiberi
deflueret aut Baianum sinum praeternavigaret,
dispositae per litora et ripas deversoriae tabernae
parabantur insignes ganea 1 et matronarum institorio
copas imitantium atque hinc inde hortantium ut
appelleret. Indicebat et familiaribus cenas, quorum
uni mitellita quadragies sestertium constitit, alteri
pluris aliquanto rosaria.

XXVIII. Super ingenuorum paedagogia et nupta-
rum concubinatus Vestali virgini Rubriae vim intulit.
Acten libertam paulum afuit quin iusto sibi
matrimonio coniungeret, summissis consularibus viris
qui regio genere ortam peierarent. Puerum Sporum
exsectis testibus etiam in muliebrem naturam trans-
figurare conatus cum dote et flammeo per sollemnia 2
nuptiarum celeberrimo officio deductum ad se pro
uxore habuit ; exstatque cuiusdam non inscitus iocus

1 ganea, Salmasius ; ganeae, mss.

2 sollemnia, ; sollemne, Tumebus ; sollemni, CL

* Made for sea-fights ; see Aug. xliii. 1 ; Tib. Ixxii. 1.

* With mitellita and rosaria we may supply cena ; the
130

NERO

himself threw many missiles at the people and even
broke a praetor's head.

XXVII. Little by little, however, as his vices
grew stronger, he dropped jesting and secrecy and
with no attempt at disguise openly broke out into
worse crime. He prolonged his revels from midday
to midnight, often livening himself by a warm
plunge, or, if it were summer, into water cooled with
snow. Sometimes too he closed the inlets and
banqueted in public in the great tank, in the
Campus Martius, or in the Circus Maximus, waited
on by harlots and dancing girls from all over the
city. Whenever he drifted down the Tiber to Ostia,
or sailed about the Gulf of Baiae, booths were set
up at intervals along the banks and shores, fitted
out for debauchery, while bartering matrons played
the part of inn-keepers and from every hand solicited
him to come ashore. He also levied dinners on his
friends, one of whom spent four million sesterces
for a banquet at which turbans were distributed, and
another a considerably larger sum for a rose dinner. 6

XXVIII. Besides abusing freeborn boys and
seducing married women, he debauched the vestal
virgin Rubria. The freedwoman Acte he all but
made his lawful wife, after bribing some ex-consuls
to perjure themselves by swearing that she was
of royal birth. He castrated the boy Sporus and
actually tried to make a woman of him ; and he
married him with all the usual ceremonies, including
a dowry and a bridal veil, took him to his house
attended by a great throng, and treated him as his
wife. And the witty jest that someone made is still

former means a banquet at which silken turbans were a
distinguishing feature.

K 2

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bene agi potuisse cum rebus humanis, si Domitius
pater talem habuisset uxorem. Hunc Sporum,
Augustarum ornamentis excultum lecticaque vectum,
et circa conventus mercatusque Graeciae ac mox
Romae circa Sigillaria comitatus est identidem
exosculans. Nam matris concubitum appetisse et
ab 1 obtrectatoribus eius, ne ferox atque impotens
mulier et hoc genere gratiae praevaleret, deterritum
nemo dubitavit, utique postquam meretricem, quam
fama erat Agrippinae simillimam, inter concubinas
recepit. Olim etiam quotiens lectica cum matre
veheretur, libidinatum inceste ac maculis vestis prodi-
tum affirmant.

XXIX. Suam quidem pudicitiam usque adeo
prostituit, ut contaminatis paene omnibus membris
novissime quasi genus lusus excogitaret, quo ferae
pelle contectus emitteretur e cavea virorumque ac
feminarum ad stipitem deligatorum inguina invaderet
et, cum affatim desaevisset, conficeretur a Doryphoro
liberto ; cui etiam, sicut ipsi Sporus, ita ipse denupsit,
voces quoque et heiulatus vim patientium virginum
imitatus. Ex nonnullis comperi persuasissimum
habuisse eum neminem hominem pudicum aut ulla
corporis parte purum esse, verum plerosque dis-
simulare vitium et callide optegere ; ideoque professis
apud se obscaenitatem cetera quoque concessisse
delicta.

XXX. Divitiarum et pecuniae fructum non alium

1 ab, Q<r; ad, n (struck out by a Utter hand); the other
ms8. omit the word.

a Cf. Claud, xvi. 4. * Used in a double sense.

132

NERO

current, that it would have been well for the world
if Nero's father Domitius had had that kind of wife.
This Sporus, decked out with the finery of the
empresses and riding in a litter, he took with him
to the assizes and marts of Greece, and later at
Rome through the Street of the Images/ 1 fondly
kissing him from time to time. That he even
desired illicit relations with his own mother, and was
kept from it by her enemies, who feared that such
a relationship might give the reckless and insolent
woman too great influence, was notorious, especially
after he added to his concubines a courtesan who
was said to look very like Agrippina. Even before
that, so they say, whenever he rode in a litter with
his mother, he had incestuous relations with her,
which were betrayed by the stains on his clothing.

XXIX. He so prostituted his own chastity that
after defiling almost every part of his body, he
at last devised a kind of game, in which, covered
with the skin of some wild animal, he was let loose
from a cage and attacked the private parts of men
and women, who were bound to stakes, and when he
had sated his mad lust, was dispatched 6 by his freed-
man Doryphorus ; for he was even married to this
man in the same way that he himself had married
Sporus, going so far as to imitate the cries and
lamentations of a maiden being deflowered. I have
heard from some men that it was his unshaken con-
viction that no man was chaste or pure in any part
of his body, but that most of them concealed their
vices and cleverly drew a veil over them ; and
that therefore he pardoned all other faults in those
who confessed to him their lewdness.

XXX. He thought that there was no other way of

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putabat quam profusionem, sordidos ac deparcos
esse quibus impensarum ratio constaret, praelautos
vereque magnificos qui abuterentur ac perderent.
Laudabat mirabaturque avunculum Gaium nullo
magis nomine, quam quod ingentis a Tiberio relictas

2 opes in brevi spatio prodegisset. Quare nec largiendi
nec absumendi modum tenuit. In Tiridatem, quod
vix credibile videatur, octingena nummum milia
diurna erogavit abeuntique super sestertium milies
contulit. Menecraten citharoedum et Spiculum 1
murmillonem triumphalium virorum patrimoniis
aedibusque donavit. Cercopithecum Panerotem
faeneratorem et urbanis rusticisque praediis locuple-

3 tatum prope regio extulit funere. Nullam vestem
bis induit. Quadringenis in punctum sestertiis
aleam lusit. Piscatus est rete aurato 2 et purpura
coccoque funibus nexis. Numquam minus mille
carrucis fecisse iter traditur, soleis mularum argenteis,
canusinatis mulionibus, armillata phalerataque Maza-
cum 8 turba atque cursorum.

XXXI. Non in alia re tamen damnosior quam in
aedificando domum a Palatio Esquilias usque fecit,
quam primo transitoriam, mox incendio absumptam
restitutamque auream nominavit. De cuius spatio
atque cultu suffecerit haec rettulisse. Vestibulum

1 Spiculum, Beroaldw ; speculum, XI.

2 rete aurato, T; veste aurato, M; the other m*8. have
veste aurata.

* falerataque Mazacum, Salmasias (Mazycum, Both) ; pha-
lerata (phalera, O) cimazacum, OXR ; falerata cimazacum, M.

* That is, could balance the account of their expenditures.

* See chap. xiii.

c That is, for each pip of the winning throw.
d Celebrated horseman of Mauretania.

* See note on Aug. xxv. 3.

134

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NERO

enjoying riches and money than by riotous extrava-
gance, declaring that only stingy and niggardly
fellows kept a correct account of what they spent, 4 *
while fine and genuinely magnificent gentlemen
wasted and squandered. Nothing in his uncle
Gaius so excited his envy and admiration as the
fact that he had in so short a time run through
the vast wealth which Tiberius had left him.
Accordingly he made presents and wasted money
without stint. On Tiridates, 6 though it would seem
hardly within belief, he spent eight hundred
thousand sesterces a day, and on his departure
presented him with more than a hundred millions.
He gave the lyre-player Menecrates and the
gladiator Spiculus properties and residences equal to
those of men who had celebrated triumphs. He
enriched the monkey-faced usurer Paneros with
estates in the country and in the city and had him
buried with almost regal splendour. He never wore
the same garment twice. He played at dice for
four hundred thousand sesterces a point. c He fished
with a golden net drawn by cords woven of purple
and scarlet threads. It is said that he never made
a journey with less than a thousand carriages, his
mules shod with silver and their drivers clad in wool
of Canusium, attended by a train of Mazaces d and
couriers with bracelets and trappings. 6

XXXI. There was nothing however in which he wa
more ruinously prodigal than in building. He made i
palace extending all the way from the Palatine to
the Esquiline, which at first he called the House of
Passage, but when it was burned shortly after its
completion and rebuilt, the Golden House. Its size
and splendour will be sufficiently indicated by the

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eius fuit, in quo colossus CXX pedum staret ipsius
effigie ; tanta laxitas, ut porticus triplices miliarias
haberet ; item stagnum maris instar, circumsaeptum
aedificiis ad urbium speciem ; rura insuper arvis atque
vinetis et pascuis silvisque varia, cum multitudine

2 omnis generis pecudum ac ferarum. In ceteris
partibus cuncta auro lita, distincta gemmis unionum-
que conchis erant ; cenationes laqueatae tabulis
eburneis versatilibus, ut flores, fistulatis, ut unguenta
desuper spargerentur ; praecipua cenationum rotunda,
quae perpetuo diebus ac noctibus vice inundi cir-
cumageretur; balineae marinis et albulis fluentes
aquis. Eius modi domum cum absolutam dedicaret,
hactenus comprobavit, ut se diceret quasi hominem
tandem habitare coepisse.

3 Praeterea incohabat piscinam a Miseno ad
Avernum lacum contectam porticibusque conclusam,
quo quidquid totis Baiis calidarum aquarum esset
converteretur ; fossam ab Averno Ostiam usque, ut
navibus nec tamen mari iretur, longitudinis per
centum sexaginta milia, latitudinis, qua contrariae
quinqueremes commearent. Quorum operum per-
ficiendorum gratia quod ubique esset custodiae in
Italiam deportari, etiam scelere convictos non nisi ad
opus damnari praeceperat.

° That is, with three parallel rows of columns.

6 One may compare Hadrian's villa at Tibur (Tivoli) with
its Canopus, its Vale of Tempe, and the like.

c Suetonius 1 brevity is here inexact ; it was evidently the
spherical ceiling which revolved.

136

NERO

following details. Its vestibule was large enough to
contain a colossal statue of the emperor a hundred and
twenty feet high ; and it was so extensive that it had
a triple colonnade ° a mile long. There was a pond
too, like a sea, surrounded with buildings to represent
cities/ besides tracts of country, varied by tilled fields,
vineyards, pastures and woods, with great numbers
of wild and domestic animals. In the rest of the
house all parts were overlaid with gold and adorned
with gems and mother-of-pearl. There were dining-
rooms with fretted ceilings of ivory, whose panels
could turn and shower down flowers and were fitted
with pipes for sprinkling the guests with perfumes.
The main banquet hall was circular and constantly
revolved day and night, like the heavens. He had
baths supplied with sea water and sulphur water.
When the edifice was finished in this style and he
dedicated it, he deigned to say nothing more in the
way of approval than that he was at last beginning
to be housed like a human being.

He also began a pool, extending from Misenum
to the lake of Avernus, roofed over and enclosed in
colonnades, into which he planned to turn all the
hot springs in every part of Baiae ; a canal from
Avernus all the way to Ostia, to enable the journey
to be made by ship yet not by sea ; its length was
to be a hundred and sixty miles and its breadth
sufficient to allow ships with five banks of oars to
pass each other. For the execution of these projects
he had given orders that the prisoners all over the
empire should be transported to Italy, and that those
who were convicted even of capital crimes should be
punished in no other way than by sentence to this
work,

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4 Ad hune impendiorum furorem, super fiduciam im-
perii, etiam spe quadam repentina immensarum et
reconditarum opum impulsus est ex indicio equitis
R. pro comperto pollicentis thesauros antiquissimae
gazae, quos Dido regina fugiens Tyro secum extulisset,
esse in Africa vastissimis specubus abditos ac posse
erui parvula molientium opera.

XXXII. Verum ut spes fefellit, destitutus atque
ita iam exhaustus et egens ut stipendia quoque
militum et commoda veteranorum protrahi ac differri
necesse esset, calumniis rapinisque intendit animum.

2 Ante omnia instituit, ut e libertorum defunctorum
bonis pro semisse dextans ei cogeretur, qui sine pro-
babili causa eo nomine essent, quo fuissent ullae
familiae quas ipse contingeret ; deinde, ut ingra-
torum in principem testamenta ad fiscum pertinerent,
ac ne impune esset studiosis iuris, qui scripsissent
vel dictassent ea; tunc ut lege maiestatis facta
dictaque omnia, quibus modo delator non deesset,

3 tenerentur. Revocavit et praemia coronarum, quae
umquam sibi civitates in certaminibus detulissent.
Et cum interdixisset usum amethystini ac Tyrii
colons summisissetque qui nundinarum die pauculas
uncias venderet, praeclusit cunctos negotiatores.
Quin etiam inter canendum animadversam matronam
in spectaculis vetita purpura cultam demonstrasse
procuratoribus suis dicitur detractamque ilico non

° That is, had left him nothing in their wills, or an
insufficient amount. b See chap. xxiv. 2.

c Of course confiscating their property.

i 3 8

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NERO

He was led to such mad extravagance, in addition
to his confidence in the resources of the empire, by
the hope of a vast hidden treasure, suddenly inspired
by the assurance of a Roman knight, who declared
positively that the enormous wealth which queen
Dido had taken with her of old in her flight from
Tyre was hidden away in huge caves in Africa and
could be recovered with but trifling labour.

XXXII. When this hope proved false, he resorted
to false accusations and robbery, being at the end of
his resources and so utterly impoverished at he
was obliged to postpone and defer even the jf
the soldiers and the rewards due to the veterai/ .

First of all he made a law, that instead of one-
half, five-sixths of the property of deceased freed-
men should be made over to him, if without good
and sufficient reason they bore the name of any
family with which he himself was connected ; further,
that the estates of those who were ungrateful
to their emperor * should belong to the privy purse,
and that the advocates who had written or dictated
such wills should not go unpunished. Finally, that
any word or deed on which an informer could base
an action should be liable to the law against lese-
majesty. He demanded the return of the rewards 6
which he had given in recognition of the prizes
conferred on him by any city in any competition.
Having forbidden the use of amethystine or Tyrian
purple dyes, he secretly sent a man to sell a few
ounces on a market day and then closed the shops of
all the dealers. It is even said that when he saw a
matron in the audience at one of his recitals clad in
the forbidden colour he pointed her out to his agents,
who dragged her out and stripped her on the spot,

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4 veste modo sed et bonis exuit. Nulli delegavit
officium ut non adiceret : " Scis quid mihi opus sit,"
et : " Hoc agamus, ne quis quicquam habeat."
Ultimo templis compluribus dona detraxit simulacra-
que , ex auro vel argento fabricata conflavit, in lis
Penatium deorum, quae mox Galba restituit.

XXXIII. Parricidia et caedes a Claudio exorsus
est; cuius necis etsi non auctor, at conscius fuit,
neque dissimulanter, ut qui boletos, in quo cibi
genere venenum is acceperat, quasi deorum cibum
posthac proverbio Graeco conlaudare sit solitus.
Certe omnibus rerum verborumque contumeliis mor-
tuum insectatus est, modo stultitiae modo saevitiae
arguens ; nam et morari eum desisse inter homines
producta prima syllaba iocabatur multaque decreta
et constituta, ut insipientis atque deliri, pro irritis
habuit ; denique bustum eius consaepiri nisi humili
levique maceria 1 neglexit.

2 Britannicum non minus aemulatione vocis, quae
illi iucundior suppetebat, quam metu ne quandoque
apud hominum gratiam paterna memoria praevaleret,
veneno adgressus est. Quod acceptum a quadam
Lucusta, venenariorum indice, cum opinione tardius
cederet ventre modo Britannici moto, accersitam

° According to Dio, 60. 35 (at the end) the saying was
original with Nero ; but as Dio calls it "a remark not
unworthy of record," it perhaps became proverbial among

c The pun on morari, "to linger, remain" and morari,
" to play the fool," seems untranslatable.

maceria, Gutherius ; materia, Q.

140

NERO

not only of her garment, but also of her property.
He never appointed anyone to an office without
adding : " You know what my needs are/' and " Let
us see to it that no one possess anything." At last
he stripped many temples of their gifts and melted
down the images of gold and silver, including those
of the Penates, which however Galba soon afterwards
restored.

XXXIII. He began his career of parricide and
murder with Claudius, for even if he was not the
instigator of the emperor's death, he was at least
privy to it, as he openly admitted ; for he used after-
wards to laud mushrooms, the vehicle in which the
poison was administered to Claudius, as " the food of
the gods," as the Greek proverb has it. a At any rate,
after Claudius's death he vented on him every kind
of insult, in act and word,* charging him now with
folly and now with cruelty ; for it was a favourite joke
of his to say that Claudius had ceased " to play the
fool" c among mortals, lengthening the first syllable
of the word rnorari, and he disregarded many of his
decrees and acts as the work of a madman and a
dotard. Finally, he neglected to enclose the place
where his body was burned except with a low and
mean wall.

He attempted the life of Britannicus by poison,
not less from jealousy of his voice (for it was more
agreeable than his own) than from fear that he
might sometime win a higher place than himself in the
people's regard because of the memory of his father.
He procured the potion from an archpoisoner, one
Locusta, and when the effect was slower than he
anticipated, merely physicing Britannicus, he called
the woman to him and flogged her with his own

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mulierem sua manu verberavit arguens pro veneno
remedium dedisse ; excusantique minus datum ad
occultandam facinoris invidiam : " Sane," inquit,
" legem Iuliam timeo," coegitque se coram in
eubiculo quam posset velocissimum ac praesentaneum

3 coquere. Deinde in haedo expertus, postquam is
quinque horas protraxit, iterum ac saepius recoctum
porcello obiecit; quo statim exanimato inferri in
triclinium darique cenanti secum Britannico impe-
ravit. Et cum ille ad primum gustum concidisset,
comitiali morbo ex consuetudine correptum apud
convivas ementitus postero die raptim inter maximos
imbres tralaticio extulit funere. Lucustae pro na-
vata opera impunitatem praediaque ampla, sed et
discipulos dedit.

XXXIV. Matrem facta dictaque sua exquirentem
acerbius et corrigentem hactenus primo gravabatur,
ut invidia identidem oneraret quasi cessurus imperio
Rhodumque abiturus, mox et honore omni et potes-
tate privavit abductaque militum et Germanorum
statione contubernio quoque ac Palatio expulit;
neque in divexanda quicquam pensi habuit, sum-
missis qui et Romae morantem litibus et in secessu
quiescentem per convicia et iocos terra marique

2 praetervehentes inquietarent. Verum minis eius ac

a Against assassination (De sicariis), including poisoning,
passed by Sulla and renewed by Julius Caesar.
6 For ner past offences ; see Tac. Ann, 12. 66.

e See Juv. i. 71 f.

142

NERO

hand, charging that she had administered a medicine
instead of a poison; and when she said in excuse
that she had given a smaller dose to shield him
from the odium of the crime, he replied : " It's
likely that I am afraid of the Julian law • ; " and he
forced her to mix as swift and instant a potion as
she knew how in his own room before his very eyes.
Then he tried it on a kid, and as the animal lingered
for five hours, had the mixture steeped again and again
and threw some of it before a pig. The beast
instantly fell dead, whereupon he ordered that the
poison be taken to the dining-room and given to
Britannicus. The boy dropped dead at the very
first taste, but Nero lied to his guests and declared
that he was seized with the falling sickness, to which
he was subject, and the next day had him hastily
and unceremoniously buried in a pouring rain. He
rewarded Locusta for her eminent services with a
full pardon b and large estates in the country, and
actually sent her pupils/

XXXIV. His mother offended him by too strict
surveillance and criticism of his words and acts, but
at first he confined his resentment to frequent
endeavours to bring upon her a burden of unpopu-
larity by pretending that he would abdicate the
throne and go off to Rhodes. Then depriving her
of all her honours and of her guard of Roman and
German soldiers, he even forbade her to live with
him and drove her from the Palace. After that
he passed all bounds in harrying her, bribing
men to annoy her with lawsuits while she remained
in the city, and after she had retired to the
country, to pass her house by land and sea and
break her rest with abuse and mockery. At last

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violentia territus perdere statuit ; et cum ter veneno
temptasset sentiretque antidotis praemunitam, lacu-
naria, quae noctu super dormientem laxata machina
deciderent, paravit. Hoc consilio per conscios parum
celato solutilem navem, cuius vel naufragio vel
camarae 1 ruina periret, commentus est atque ita
reconciliatione simulata iucundissimis litteris Baias
evocavit ad sollemnia Quinquatruum 2 simul cele-
branda ; datoque negotio trierarchis, qui liburnicam
qua advecta erat velut fortuito concursu confringe-
rent, protraxit convivium repetentique Baulos in
locum corrupti navigii machinosum illud optulit,
hilare prosecutus atque in digressu papillas quoque

3 exosculatus. Reliquum temporis cum magna trepi-
datione vigilavit opperiens coeptorum exitum. Sed
ut diversa omnia nandoque evasisse earn comperit,
inops consilii L. Agermum libertum eius salvam et
incolumem cum gaudio nuntiantem, abiecto clam
iuxta pugione ut percussorem sibi subornatum arripi
constringique iussit, matrem occidi, quasi deprehen-

4 sum crimen voluntaria morte vitasset. Adduntur his
atrociora nec incertis auctoribus : ad visendum inter-
fectae cadaver accurrisse, contrectasse membra, alia
vituperasse, alia laudasse, sitique interim oborta

1 camare, ML ; the other mss. have camerae or camere.

2 Quinquatruum] Quinquatrum, M Lt ; Quinquatrium,

a The inventor was his freedman Anicetus ; Tac. Ann.
[. 3. 6 See Aug. lxxi. 3.

c Given by the future emperor Otho ; see Otho> iii.

d Tacitus tells us that some denied this ; Ann. 14. 9.
144

OPT.

NERO

terrified by her violence and threats, he deter-
mined to have her life, and after thrice attempting
it by poison and finding that she had made herself
immune by antidotes, he tampered with the ceiling
of her bedroom, contriving a mechanical device for
loosening its panels and dropping them upon her
while she slept. When this leaked out through
some of those connected with the plot, he devised a
collapsible boat,* to destroy her by shipwreck or by
the falling in of its cabin. Then he pretended a
reconciliation and invited her in a most cordial let-
ter to come to Baiae and celebrate the feast of
Minerva b with him. On her arrival, instructing his
captains to wreck the galley in which she had come,
by running into it as if by accident, he detained her
at a banquet, 6 and when she would return to Bauli,
offered her his contrivance in place of the craft which
had been damaged, escorting her to it in high spirits
and even kissing her breasts as they parted. The rest
of the night he passed sleepless in intense anxiety,
awaiting the outcome of his design. On learning that
everything had gone wrong and that she had escaped
by swimming, driven to desperation he secretly
had a dagger thrown down beside her freedman
Lucius Agermus, when he joyfully brought word
that she was safe and sound, and then ordered that
the freedman be seized and bound, on the charge of
being hired to kill the emperor ; that his mother be
put to death, and the pretence made that she had
escaped the consequences of her detected guilt by
suicide. Trustworthy authorities d add still more grue-
some details : that he hurried off to view the corpse,
handled her limbs, criticising some and commending
others, and that becoming thirsty meanwhile, he took

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bibisse. Neque tamen conscientiam sceleris, quan-
quam et militum et senatus populique gratulationibus
confirmaretur, aut statim aut umquam postea ferre
potuit, saepe confessus exagitari se materna specie
verberibusque Furiarum ac taedis ardentibus. Quin
et facto per Magos sacro evocare Manes et exorare
temptavit. Peregrinatione quidem Graeciae et Eleu-
sinis sacris, quorum initiatione impii et scelerati voce
praeconis summoventur, interesse non ausus est.
5 Iunxit parricidio matris amitae necem. Quam
cum ex duritie alvi cubantem visitaret, et ilia trac-
tans lanuginem eius, ut assolet, iam grandis natu per
blanditias forte dixisset: "Simul hanc excepero,
mori volo," con versus ad proximos confestim se posi-
turum velut irridens ait, praecepitque medicis ut
largius purgarent aegram ; necdum defunctae bona
invasit suppresso testamento, ne quid abscederet.

XXXV. Uxores praeter Octaviam duas postea
duxit, Poppaeam 1 Sabinam quaestorio patre natam
et equiti R. antea nuptam, deinde Statiliam Messa-
linam Tauri bis consulis ac triumphalis abneptem.
Qua ut poteretur, virum eius Atticum Vestinum
consulem in honore ipso trucidavit. Octaviae con-
suetudinem cito aspernatus, corripientibus amicis
sufficere illi debere respondit uxoria ornamenta.

1 Poppaeam, Sabellicus ; Pompeiam, XI.

a That is, " when I see you arrived at man's estate." The
first shaving of the beard by a young Roman was a symbolic
act, usually performed at the age of twenty-one with due
ceremony ; see chap. xii. 3, above. According to Tac. Ann.
14. 15, and Dio, 61. 19, Nero first shaved his beard in 59 a.d.
at the age of twenty-one and commemorated the event by
establishing the Juvenales ludi or Juvenalia (chap. xi. 1).

146

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NERO

a drink. Yet he could not either then or ever after-
wards endure the stings of conscience, though
soldiers, senate and people tried to hearten him with
their congratulations; for he often owned that he
was hounded by his mother s ghost and by the
whips and blazing torches of the Furies. He even
had rites performed by the Magi, in the effort to
summon her shade and entreat it for forgiveness.
Moreover, in his journey through Greece he did
not venture to take part in the Eleusinian mys-
teries, since at the beginning the godless and wicked
are warned by the herald's proclamation to go
hence.

To matricide he added the murder of his aunt.
When he once visited her as she was confined to her
bed from costiveness, and she, as old ladies will,
stroking his downy beard (for he was already well
grown) happened to say fondly : " As soon as I
receive this/ 1 I shall gladly die," he turned to those
with him and said as if in jest: "I'll take it off
at once." Then he bade the doctors give the sick
woman an overdose of physic and seized her property
before she was cold, suppressing her will, that nothing
might escape him.

XXXV. Besides Octavia he later took two wives,
Poppaea Sabina, daughter of an ex-quaestor and
previously married to a Roman knight, and then
Statilia Messalina, daughter of the great-grand-
daughter of Taurus, who had been twice consul and
awarded a triumph. To possess the latter he slew
her husband Atticus Vestinus while he held the
office of consul. He soon grew tired of living with
Octavia, and when his friends took him to task,
replied that "she ought to be content with the

147

l 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VI

2 Eandem mox saepe frustra strangulare meditatus
dimisit ut sterilem, sed improbante divortium populo
nec parcente conviciis, etiam relegavit, denique
occidit sub crimine adulteriorum adeo inpudenti
falsoque, ut in quaestione pemegantibus cunctis
Anicetum paedagogum suum indicem subiecerit,
qui fingeret et l dolo stupratam a se fateretur.
Poppaeam 2 duodecimo die post divortium Octaviae
in matrimonium acceptam dilexit unice ; et tarn en
ipsam quoque ictu calcis occidit, quod se ex
aurigatione sero reversum gravida et aegra conviciis
incesserat. Ex hac filiam tulit Claudiam Augustam
amisitque admodum infantem.

4 Nullum adeo necessitudinis genus est, quod non
scelere perculerit. Antoniam Claudi filiam, recusan-
tem post Poppaeae mortem nuptias suas, quasi
molitricem novarum rerum interemit ; similiter
ceteros 3 aut affinitate aliqua sibi aut propinquitate
coniunctos; in quibus Aulum Plautium iuvenem,
quern cum ante mortem per vim conspurcasset :
" Eat nunc," inquit, " mater mea et successorem
meum osculetur," iactans dilectum ab ea et ad spem

5 imperii impulsum. Privignum Rufrium Crispinum
Poppaea natum, impuberem adhuc, quia ferebatur

1 fingeret et, X ; fingeret, MO ; T omits both words.

2 Pompeiam, H ; Poppeiam, Q.

3 The earlier mss. except p have inter before ceteros ; inter-
emit or item, ; intercepit, Polalc.

a A brutal pun. Just as the consular insignia or ornamenUa
were given in place of the regular office (see Claud, v.), and
the triumphal insignia in place of a triumph, so Octavia
ought to be content with being the emperor's wife in name
only.

148

NERO

insignia of wifehood." a Presently after several vain
attempts to strangle her, he divorced her on the
ground of barrenness, and when the people took it
ill and openly reproached him, he banished her
besides; and finally he had her put to death on a
charge of adultery that was so shameless and
unfounded, that when all who were put to the
torture maintained her innocence, he bribed his
former preceptor Anicetus 6 to make a pretended
confession that he had violated her chastity by a
stratagem. He dearly loved Poppaea, whom he
married twelve days after his divorce from Octavia,
yet he caused her death too by kicking her when she
was pregnant and ill, because she had scolded him
for coming home late from the races. By her he
had a daughter, Claudia Augusta, but lost her when
she was still an infant.

Indeed there is no kind of relationship that he did
not violate in his career of crime. He put to death
Antonia, daughter of Claudius/ for refusing to marry
him after Poppaea's death, charging her with an
attempt at revolution ; and he treated in the same
way all others who were in any way connected with
him by blood or by marriage. Among these was the
young Aulus Plautius, whom he forcibly defiled before
his death, saying " Let my mother come now and kiss
my successor," openly charging that Agrippina had
loved Plautius and that this had roused him to hopes
of the throne. Rufrius Crispinus, a mere boy, his
stepson and the child of Poppaea, he ordered to be
drowned by the child's own slaves while he was

* Anicetus was at the time prefect of the praetorian fleet
at Misenum ; see Tac. Ann. 14. 62.
c See Claud, xxvii. 1.

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ducat us et imperia ludere, mergendum mari, dum
piscaretur, servis ipsius demandavit. Tuscum
nutricis filium relegavit, quod in procuratione Aegypti
balineis in adventum suum exstructis lavisset. Sene-
cam praeceptorem ad necem compulit, quamvis saepe
commeatum petenti bonisque cedenti persancte
iurasset suspectum se frustra periturumque potius
quam nociturum ei. Burro praefecto remedium ad
fauces pollicitus toxicum misit. Libertos divites et
senes, olim adoptionis mox dominationis suae fautores
atque rectores, veneno partim cibis partim potionibus
indito intercepit.

XXXVI. Nec minore saevitia foris et in exteros
grassatus est. Stella crinita, quae summis potesta-
tibus exitium portendere vulgo putatur, per continuas
noctes oriri coeperat. Anxius ea re, ut ex Balbillo
astrologo didicit, solere reges talia ostenta caede
aliqua illustri expiare atque a semet in capita
procerum depellere, nobilissimo cuique exitium
destinavit; enimvero multo magis et quasi per
iustam causam duabus coniurationibus provulgatis,
. quarum prior maiorque Pisoniana Romae, posterior
Viniciana Beneventi conflata atque detecta est.
2 Coniurati e vinculis triplicium catenarum dixere
causam, cum quidam ultro crimen faterentur, non-
nulli etiam imputarent, tamquam aliter illi non
possent nisi morte succurrere dedecorato flagitiis

° Seneca's speech and Nero's reply are preserved by
Tacitus {Ann. 14. 53-56).

6 Pallas and Doryphorus ; see Tac. Ann. 14. 65.

c Tacitus mentions two comets, one in 60 and the other in
64 ; see Awn. 14. 22; 15. 47.

IS©

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NERO

fishing, because it was said that he used to play at
being a general and an emperor. He banished his
nurse's son Tuscus, because when procurator in
Egypt, he had bathed in some baths which were
built for a visit of Nero's. He drove his tutor Seneca
to suicide, although when the old man often pleaded
to be allowed to retire and offered to give up his
estates/ he had sworn most solemnly that he did
wrong to suspect him and that he would rather die
than harm him. He sent poison to Burrus, prefect
of the Guard, in place of a throat medicine which he
had promised him. The old and wealthy freedmen
who had helped him first to his adoption and later
to the throne, and aided him by their advice, 6 he
killed by poison, administered partly in their food
and partly in their drink.

XXXVI. Those outside his family he assailed with
no less cruelty. It chanced that a cornet had begun
to appear on several successive nights, a thing which
is commonly believed to portend the death of great
rulers. Worried by this, and learning from the
astrologer Balbillus that kings usually averted such
omens by the death of some distinguished man, thus
turning them from themselves upon the heads of the
nobles, he resolved on the death of all the eminent men
of the State ; but the more firmly, and with some sem-
blance of justice, after the discovery of two conspiracies.
The earlier and more dangerous of these was that of
Piso at Rome ; the other was set on foot by Vinicius 65 a.d.
at Beneventum and detected there. The conspirators
made their defence in triple sets of fetters, some volun-
tarily admitting their guilt, some even making a favour
of it, saying that there was no way except by death
that they could help a man disgraced by every kind

15*

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omnibus. Damnatorum liberi urbe pulsi enectique
veneno aut fame ; constat quosdam cum paedagogis
et capsariis uno prandio pariter necatos, alios diurnum
victum prohibitos quaerere.

XXXVII. Nullus posthac adhibitus dilectus aut
modus interimendi quoscumque libuisset quacum-
que de causa. Sed ne de pluribus referam, Sal-
vidieno Orfito obiectum est quod tabernas tres de
domo sua circa Forum civitatibus ad stationem
locasset, Cassio Longino iuris consulto ac luminibus
orbato, quod in vetere gentili 1 stemmate C. Cassi
percussoris Caesaris imagines retinuisset, Paeto

2 Thraseae tristior et paedagogi vultus. Mori iussis
non amplius quam horarum spatium dabat ; ac ne
quid morae interveniret, medicos admovebat qui
cunctantes continuo curarent; ita enim vocabatur 2
venas mortis gratia incidere. Creditur etiam poly-
phago cuidam Aegypti generis crudam carnem et
quidquid daretur mandere assueto, concupisse vivos

3 homines laniandos absumendosque obicere. Elatus
inflatusque tantis velut successibus negavit quem-
quam principum scisse quid sibi liceret, multasque
nec dubias significationes saepe iecit, ne reliquis
quidem se parsurum senatoribus, eumque ordinem

1 gentili, S 2 ^- ; gentilis, MGX ; gentis, T.
a vocabatur, MT ; iocabatur, G ; vocabat, X.

a As Dio says (62. 24) " they desired at the same time to
be rid of these evils and to give Nero his reltate from them."
Death was the only remedy for one as far gone in wicked-
ness ; hence in attempting to apply this remedy, they were
doing him a favour. Cf. also Tac. Ann. 15. 68.

b The cap8arii carried the children's books and writing
materials in a box (capsa),

15a

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NERO

of wickedness.* The children of those who were
condemned were banished or put to death by poison
or starvation ; a number are known to have been
slain all together at a single meal along with their pre-
ceptors and attendants,* while others were prevented
from earning their daily bread.

XXXVII. After this he showed neither dis-
crimination nor moderation in putting to death
whomsoever he pleased on any pretext whatever.
To mention but a few instances, Salvidienus Orfitus
was charged with having let to certain states as
headquarters three shops which formed part of his
house near the Forum; Cassius Longinus, a blind
jurist, with retaining in the old family tree of his
house the mask of Gaius Cassius, the assassin of
Julius Caesar ; Paetus Thrasea with having a sullen
mien, like that of a preceptor. To those who were
bidden to die he never granted more than an hour's
respite, and to avoid any delay, he brought physicians
who were at once to "attend to" such as lingered ;
for that was the term he used for killing them by
opening their veins. It is even believed that it was
his wish to throw living men to be torn to pieces and
devoured by a monster 6 of Egyptian birth, who
would crunch raw flesh and anything else that was
given him. Transported and puffed up with such
successes, as he considered them, he boasted that no
prince had ever known what power he really had, and
he often threw out unmistakable hints that he would
not spare even those of the senate who survived, but
would one day blot out the whole order from the
State and hand over the rule of the provinces and the

c The Greek word means "a glutton," or something
stronger.

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sublaturum quandoque e re p. ac provincias et
exercitus equiti R. ac libertis permissurum. Certe
neque adveniens neque proficiscens quemquam os-
culo impertiit ac ne resalutatione quidem; et in
auspicando opere Isthmi 1 magna frequentia clare
ut sibi ac populo R. bene res verteret optavit dissi-
mulata senatus mentione.

XXXVIII. Sed nec populo aut moenibus patriae
pepercit. Dicente quodam in sermone coinmuni :

"Immo," inquit, " ifxov fwvros/' planeque ita fecit.
Nam quasi ofFensus deformitate veterum aedificiorum
et angustiis flexurisque vicorum, incendit urbem tarn
palam, ut plerique consulares cubicularios eius cum
stuppa taedaque in praediis suis deprehensos non
attigerint, et quaedam horrea circa domum Auream,
quorum spatium maxime desiderabat, ut bellicis ma-
chinis labefacta atque inflammata sint, quod saxeo
2 muro constructa erant. Per sex dies septemque
noctes ea clade saevitum est ad monumentorum
bustorumque deversoria 2 plebe compulsa. Tunc
praeter immensum numerum insularum domus pris-
corum ducum arserunt hostilibus adhuc spoliis
adornatae deorumque aedes ab regibus ac deinde
Punicis et Gallicis bellis votae dedicataeque, et

1 Isthmii, n 2 i? ; the greater number of the mss. have Sthimii.

2 deversoria] diversoria, XI.

• Such a salutation was usual ; see Plin. Paneg. xxiii.

* A line put by Dio, 58. 23, into the mouth of Tiberius.
It is believed to be from the Bellerophon, a lost play of
Euripides. c But cf. Tac. Ann. 15. 38.

d inmUae here refers to blocks of houses, or tenements, in

'Eftou 6 voVros yatd fjL€LxOrfrio irvpL,

154

NERO

command of the armies to the Roman knights and to
his freedmen. Certain it is that neither on beginning
a journey nor on returning did he kiss any member a
or even return his greeting ; and at the formal opening
of the work at the Isthmus the prayer which he
uttered in a loud voice before a great throng was,
that the event might result favourably " for himself
and the people of Rome/' thus suppressing any
mention of the senate.

XXXVIII. But he showed no greater mercy
to the people or the walls of his capital. When
someone in a general conversation said :

" When I am dead, be earth consumed by fire," b

he rejoined "Nay, rather while I live," and his
action was wholly in accord. For under cover
of displeasure at the ugliness of the old buildings
and the narrow, crooked streets, he set fire to
the city e so openly that several ex-consuls did not
venture to lay hands on his chamberlains although
they caught them on their estates with tow and fire-
brands, while some granaries near the Golden
House, whose room he particularly desired, were de-
molished by engines of war and then set on fire,
because their walls were of stone. For six days and
seven nights destruction raged, while the people
were driven for shelter to monuments and tombs.
At that time, besides an immense number of
dwellings/ the houses of leaders of old were burned,
still adorned with trophies of victory, and the
temples of the gods vowed and dedicated by the
kings and later in the Punic and Gallic wars, and

which rooms were rented to the poorer classes; domu* to
detached houses or mansions,

15s

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quidquid visendum atque memorabile ex antiquitate
duraverat. Hoc incendium e turre Maecenatiana
prospectans laetusque "flammae," ut aiebat, "pul-
chritudine " Halosin II ii in illo suo scaenico habitu

3 decantavit. Ac ne non hinc quoque quantum
posset praedae et manubiarum invaderet, pollicitus
cadaverum et ruderum gratuitam egestionem nemini
ad reliquias rerum suarum adire permisit; conla-
tionibusque non receptis modo verum et efflagitatis
provincias privatorumque census prope exhausit.

XXXIX. Accesserunt tantis ex principe malis
probrisque quaedam et fortuita: pestilentia unius
autumni, quo triginta funerum milia in rationem
Libitinae venerunt; clades Britannica, qua duo
praecipua oppida magna civium sociorumque caede
direpta sunt; ignominia ad Orientem legionibus in
Armenia sub iugum missis aegreque Syria retenta.
Mirum et vel praecipue notabile inter haec fuerit
nihil eum patientius quam maledicta et convicia
hominum tulisse, neque in ullos leniorem quam qui

2 se dictis aut carminibus lacessissent exstitisse. Multa
Graece Latineque proscripta aut vulgata sunt, sicut

° A tower connected with the house and gardens of
Maecenas on the Esquiline ; see Hor. Odes, 3. 29. 10, molem
propinquam nubibus arduis. It was probably connected with
the Palatine by the domus transitoria ; see chap. xxi. 2 and
Tac. Ann. 15. 39, whose account, as well as that of Dio,
62. 18, differs from that of Suetonius.

* Probably a composition of his own ; cf . J uv. 8. 221
and Vitdl. xi. 2,

ilia:

156

NERO

whatever else interesting and noteworthy had
survived from antiquity. Viewing the conflagration
from the tower of Maecenas a and exulting, as he said,
in " the beauty of the flames," he sang the whole
of the " Sack of Ilium,' ' b in his regular stage
costume. Furthermore, to gain from this calamity too
all the spoil and booty possible, while promising the
removal of the debris and dead bodies free of cost
he allowed no one to approach the ruins of his
own property ; and from the contributions which he
not only received, but even demanded, he nearly
bankrupted the provinces and exhausted
resources of individuals.

XXXIX. To all the disasters and abuses thus caused
by the prince there were added certain accidents of
fortune ; a plague which in a single autumn entered
thirty thousand deaths in the accounts of Libitina ; c
a disaster in Britain, where two important towns were
sacked d and great numbers of citizens and allies were
butchered ; a shameful defeat in the Orient, in con-
sequence of which the legions in Armenia were sent
under the yoke and Syria was all but lost. It is
surprising and of special note that all this time
he bore nothing with more patience than the
curses and abuse of the people, and was particularly
lenient towards those who assailed him with gibes
and lampoons. Of these many were posted or
circulated both in Greek and Latin, for example the
following :

"Nero, Orestes, Alcmeon their mothers slew."

c Venus Libitina, in whose temple funeral outfits and a
register of deaths were kept ; cf. Hor. Serm. ii. 6, 19.

d Camulodunum (Meldon) and Verulanium (St. Albans) ;
according to Xiphilinus (61. 1) 80,000 perished.

157

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VI

" Ncoi/rc^ov 1 Ncpcov tStav fiTjripa air€KT£iV€."

Quis negat Aeneae magna de stirpe Neronem ?
Sustulit hie matrein, sustulit ille patrem.

Dum tendit citharam noster, dum cornua
Parthus,

Noster erit Paean, ille Hecatebeletes.

Roma domus net ; Veios migrate, Quirites,
Si non et Veios occupat ista domus.

Sed neque auctores requisiit et quosdam per indicem
delatos ad senatum adfici graviore poena prohibuit.
3 Transeuntem eum Isidorus Cynicus in publico clara
voce corripuerat, quod Naupli mala bene cantitaret,
sua bona male disponeret ; et Datus Atellanarum
histrio in cantico quodam

vytatvc 7raT€p, vylatv€ fjLrjTcp

ita demonstraverat, ut bibentem natantemque faceret,
exitum scilicet Claudi Agrippinaeque significans, et
in novissima clausula

senatum gestu notarat. 2 Histrionem et philosophum
Nero nihil amplius quam urbe Italiaque summovit,

1 ve6}pT}<f>ov f ft; see Biiehder, Rh. Mils. 61, 308 f. ; pe6vufi-
<pov, 2 notarat, Oudendorp ; notaret, ft.

° See the reference to the Rh. Mu8. in the textual note.
The numerical value of the Greek letters in Nero's name
(1005) is the same as that of the rest of the sentence ; hence
we have an equation, Nero = the slayer of one's own mother.

* Referring to Nero's design mentioned in chap, xxxvii. 3.

Orcus vobis ducit pedes

158

NERO

" A calculation new. Nero his mother slew." a

" Who can deny the descent from Aeneas' great line
of our Nero ?

One his mother took off, the other one took off
his sire."

" While our ruler his lyre doth twang and the Par-
thian his bowstring,
Paean-singer our prince shall be, and Far-darter
our foe."

" Rome is becoming one house ; off with you to Veii,
Quirites !

If that house does not soon seize upon Veii as
well."

He made no effort, however, to find the authors ; in
fact, when some of them were reported to the
senate by an informer, he forbade their being very
severely punished, As he was passing along a
public street, the Cynic Isidorus loudly taunted him,
"because he was a good singer of the ills of
Nauplius, but made ill use of his own goods."
Datus also, an actor of Atellan farces, in a song
beginning :

" Farewell to thee, father ; farewell to thee, mother,"

represented drinking and swimming in pantomime,
referring of course to the death of Claudius and
Agrippina ; and in the final tag,

"Orcus guides your steps,"

he indicated the senate by a gesture. 6 Nero
contented himself with banishing the actor and the
philosopher from the city, either because he was im-

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vel contemptu omnis infamiae vel ne fatendo dolorem
irritaret ingenia.

XL. Talem principem paulo minus quattuordecim
annos perpessus terrarum orbis tandem destituit,
initium facientibus Gallis duce Iulio Vindice, qui
turn earn provinciam pro praetore optinebat.

2 Praedictum a mathematicis Neroni olim erat fore
ut quandoque destitueretur ; unde ilia vox eius cele-
berrima : To riyyiov rj/xas oWpc^ei, 1 quo maiore scilicet
venia meditaretur citharoedicam artem, principi sibi
gratam, private necessariam. Spoponderant tamen
qui dam destitute Orientis dominationem, nonnulli
nominatim regnum Hierosolymorum, plures omnis
pristinae fortunae restitutionem. Cui spei pronior,
Britannia Armeniaque amissa ac rursus utraque
recepta, defunctum se fatalibus malis existimabat.

3 Ut vero consulto Delphis Apolline septuagensimum
ac tertium annum cavendum sibi audivit, quasi eo
demum obiturus, ac nihil coniectans de aetate
Galbae, tanta fiducia non modo senectam sed etiam
perpetuam singularemque concepit felicitatem, ut
amissis naufragio pretiosissimis rebus non dubitaverit
inter suos dicere pisces eas sibi relaturos.

4 Neapoli de motu Galliarum cognovit die ipso quo
matrem occiderat, adeoque lente ac secure tulit ut
gaudentis etiam suspicionem praeberet tamquam occa-

1 SiaTpeaQei, MLS ; the rest of the mss. have tiiarptQsi ;
hiaBpifai, Tumebu8 from Dio, 63. 27.

° If the text is right, the remark must be of a general
nature ("us" = mankind). Dio, 63. 27, who reads 8ia0ptyci,
says that Nero when planning to kill the senators, burn
Rome, and sail to Alexandria, said : "Even though we be
driven from our empire, yet this little artistic gift of ours
shall support us there " ; i.e. at Alexandria.

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pervious to all insults, or to avoid sharpening men's
wits by showing his vexation.

XL. After the world had put up with such a ruler
for nearly fourteen years, it at last cast him off, and
the Gauls took the first step under the lead of Julius
Vindex, who at that time governed their province as
propraetor.

Astrologers had predicted to Nero that he would
one day be repudiated, which was the occasion
of that well known saying of his : " A humble art
affords us daily bread," a doubtless uttered to justify
him in practising the art of lyre-playing, as an
amusement while emperor, but a necessity for
a private citizen. Some of them, however, had
promised him the rule of the East, when he was
cast off, a few expressly naming the sovereignty of
Jerusalem, and several the restitution of all his
former fortunes. Inclining rather to this last hope,
after losing Armenia and Britain and recovering
both, he began to think that he had suffered the
misfortunes which fate had in store. And after
consulting the oracle at Delphi and being told
that he must look out for the seventy-third year,
assuming that he would die only at that period, and
taking no account of Galba's years, he felt so con-
fident not only of old age, but also of unbroken and
unusual good fortune, that when he had lost some
articles of great value by shipwreck, he did not
hesitate to say among his intimate friends that the
fish would bring them back to him.

He was at Naples when he learned of the uprising
of the Gallic provinces, on the anniversary of his
mother's murder, and received the news with such
calmness and indifference that he incurred the

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sione nata spoliandarum iure belli opulentissimarum
provinciarum ; statimque in gymnasium progressus
certantis athletas effusissimo studio spectavit. Cenae
quoque tempore interpellatus tumultuosioribus litteris
hactenus excanduit, ut malum iis qui descissent mina-
retur. Denique per octo continuos dies non re-
scribere cuiquam, non mandare quid aut praecipere
conatus rem silentio obliteravit.

XLI. Edictis tandem Vindicis contumeliosis et
frequentibus permotus senatum epistula in ultionem
sui reique publicae adhortatus est, excusato languore
faucium, propter quern non adesset. Nihil autem
aeque doluit, quam ut malum se citharoedum in-
crepitum ac pro Nerone Ahenobarbum appellatum ;
et nomen quidem gentile, quod sibi per contumeliam
exprobraretur, resumpturum se professus est deposito
adoptivo, cetera convicia, ut falsa, non alio argumento
refellebat, quam quod etiam inscitia sibi tanto opere
elaboratae 1 perfectaeque a se artis obiceretur, singulos
subinde rogitans, nossentne quemquam praestan-
2 tiorem. Sed urgentibus aliis super alios nuntiis
Romam praetrepidus rediit ; leviterque modo in
itinere frivolo auspicio mente recreata, cum adnotasset
insculptum monumento militem Galium ab equite R.
oppressum trahi crinibus, ad earn speciem exsiluit
1 elaboratae, Bemegger ; laboratae, mss.
a Cf. chap. vii. 1.

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suspicion of actually rejoicing in it, because it gave
him an excuse for pillaging those wealthy provinces
according to the laws of war And he at once pro-
ceeded to the gymnasium, where he watched the
contests of the athletes with rapt interest. At
dinner too when interrupted by a more disturbing
letter, he fired up only so far as to threaten vengeance
on the rebels. In short for eight whole days making
no attempt to write a reply to anyone, none to give
any commission or command, he blotted out the
affair with silence.

XLI. At last he was driven by numerous insulting
edicts of Vindex, to urge the senate in a letter
to avenge him and the state, alleging a throat trouble
as his excuse for not appearing in person. Yet
there was nothing which he so much resented as the
taunt that he was a wretched lyre-player and that he
was addressed as Ahenobarbus instead of Nero. a
With regard to his family name, which was cast in
his teeth as an insult, he declared that he would
resume it and give up that of his adoption. He used
no other arguments to show the falsity of the rest
of the reproaches than that he was actually taunted
with being unskilled in an art to which he had de-
voted so much attention and in which he had so per-
fected himself, and he asked various individuals from
time to time whether they knew of any artist who
was his superior. Finally, beset by message after mes-
sage, he returned to Rome in a panic ; but on the
way, when but slightly encouraged by an insignifi-
cant omen, for he noticed a monument on which
was sculptured the overthrow of a Gallic soldier by a
Roman horseman, who was dragging him along by
the hair, he leaped for joy at the sight and lifted up

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primoribus viris domum evocavit transactaque raptim
consultatione reliquam diei partem per organa
hydraulica 1 novi et ignoti generis circumduxit,
ostendensque singula, de ratione ac difficultate
cuiusque disserens, iam se etiam prolaturum omnia
in theatrum affirmavit, si per Vindicem liceat.

XLII. Postquam deinde etiam Galbam et Hispanias
descivisse cognovit, conlapsus animoque male facto
diu sine voce et prope intermortuus 2 iacuit, utque
resipiit, veste discissa, capite converberato, actum de
se pronuntiavit consolantique nutriculae et aliis quo-
que iam principibus similia accidisse memoranti, se
vero praeter ceteros inaudita et incognita pati re-
2 spondit, qui summum imperium vivus amitteret. Nec
eo setius quicquam ex consuetudine luxus atque
desidiae omisit vel inminuit; quin immo, cum
prosperi quiddam ex provinciis nuntiatum esset,
super abundantissimam cenam iocularia in defectionis
duces carmina lasciveque modulata, quae vulgo
notuerunt, etiam gesticulatus est; ac spectaculis
theatri clam inlatus cuidam scaenico placenti nuntium
misit abuti eum occupationibus suis.

XLII I. Initio statim tumultus multa et inmania,
verum non abhorrentia a natura sua creditur de-
stinasse ; successores percussoresque summittere exer-

1 ydraulica, mss. 2 intermortuus] intermortuos, M.

° This and the following sentences show Nero's utter
failure to realize the real gravity of the situation and his
fluctuation between panic fear and fatuous confidence.

* Implying that Nero would have been the centre of
attraction, if he were not otherwise engaged.

164

NERO

his hands to heaven.® Not even on his arrival did he
personally address the senate or people, but called
some of the leading men to his house and after a
hasty consultation spent the rest of the day in
exhibiting some water-organs of a new and hitherto
unknown form, explaining their several features and
lecturing on the theory and complexity of each of
them ; and he even declared that he would pre-
sently produce them all in the theatre " with the
kind permission of Vindex."

XLII. Thereafter, having learned that Galba also
and the Spanish provinces had revolted, he fainted
and lay for a long time insensible, without a word
and all but dead. When he came to himself, he
rent his robe and beat his brow, declaring that it
was all over with him ; and when his old nurse tried
to comfort him by reminding him that similar evils
had befallen other princes before him, he declared
that unlike all others he was suffering the unheard
of and unparalleled fate of losing the supreme
power while he still lived. Nevertheless he did not
abandon or amend his slothful and luxurious habits ;
on the contrary, whenever any good news came from
the provinces, he not only gave lavish feasts, but
even ridiculed the leaders of the revolt in verses set
to wanton music, which have since become public,
and accompanied them with gestures ; then secretly
entering the audience room of the theatre, he sent
word to an actor who was making a hit that he was
taking advantage of the emperor's busy days. &

XLIII. At the very beginning of the revolt it is
believed that he formed many plans of monstrous
wickedness, but in no way inconsistent with his
character : to depose and assassinate the com-

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citus et provincias regentibus, quasi conspiratis idem-
que et unum sentientibus ; quidquid ubique exsulum,
quidquid in urbe hominum Gallicanorura esset
contrucidare, illos ne desciscentibus adgregarentur,
hos ut conscios popularium suorum atque fautores ;
Gallias exercitibus diripiendas permittere; senatum
universum veneno per convivia necare ; urbem incen-
dere fens in populum immissis, quo difficilius
2 defenderentur. Sed absterritus non tam paenitentia
quam perficiendi desperatione credensque expedi-
tionem necessarian), consules ante tempus privavit
honore atque in utriusque locum solus iniit consula-
tum, quasi fatale esset non posse Gallias debellari
nisi a 1 consule. Ac susceptis fascibus cum post epulas
triclinio digrederetur, innixus umeris familiarium
affirmavit, simul ac primum provinciam attigisset,
inermem se in conspectum exercituum proditurum
nec quicquam aliud quam fleturum, revocatisque ad
paenitentiam defectoribus insequenti die laetum
inter laetos cantaturum epinicia, quae iam nunc sibi
componi oporteret.

XLIV. In praeparanda expeditione primam curam
habuit deligendi vehicula portandis scaenicis organis
concubinasque, quas secum educeret, tondendi ad
virilem modum et securibus peltisque Amazonicis
instruendi. Mox tribus urbanas ad sacramentum
citavit ac nullo idoneo respondente certum dominis

1 a] a se,

° Since Nero commanded the army, the consul in question
must be himself ; hence the ae of $- is unnecessary.

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manders of the armies and the governors of the pro-
vinces, on the ground that they were all united in a
conspiracy against him; to massacre all the exiles
everywhere and all men of Gallic birth in the city : the
former, to prevent them from joining the rebels ; the
latter, as snaring and abetting the designs of their
countrymen; to turn over the Gallic provinces to
his armies to ravage ; to poison the entire senate at
banquets; to set fire to the city, first letting the wild
beasts loose, that it might be harder for the people
to protect themselves. But he was deterred from
these designs, not so much by any compunction,
as because he despaired of being able to carry them
out, and feeling obliged to take the field, he deposed
the consuls before the end of their term and assumed
the office alone in place of both of them, alleging
that it was fated that the Gallic provinces could not
be subdued except by a consul." Having assumed
the fasces, he declared as he was leaving the dining-
room after a banquet, leaning on the shoulders of his
comrades, that immediately on setting foot in the
province he would go before the soldiers unarmed
and do nothing but weep ; and having thus led the
rebels to change their purpose, he would next day
rejoice among his rejoicing subjects and sing paeans
of victory, which he ought at that very moment to
be composing.

XLI V. In preparing for his campaign his first care
was to select wagons to carry his theatrical in-
struments, to have the hair of his concubines,
whom he planned to take with him, trimmed man-
fashion, and to equip them with Amazonian axes and
shields. Next he summoned the city tribes to enlist,
and when no eligible person responded, he levied on

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servorum numerum indixit ; nec nisi ex tota cuius-
que familia probatissimos, ne dispensatoribus quidem

2 aut amanuensibus exceptis, recepit. Partem etiam
census omnes ordines conferre iussit et insuper
inquilinos privatarum aedium atque insularum pen-
sionem annuam repraesentare fisco; exegitque^
ingenti fastidio et acerbitate nummum asperum
argentum pustulatum, aurum ad obrussam, ut
plerique omnem collationem palam recusarent, con-
sensu flagitantes a delatoribus potius revocanda
praemia quaecumque cepissent.

XLV. Ex annonae quoque caritate lucranti 1 ad-
crevit invidia ; nam et forte accidit, ut in publica
fame Alexandrina navis nuntiaretur pulverem lucta-
toribus aulicis advexisse.

2 Quare omnium in se odio incitato nihil contume-
liarum defuit quin subiret. Statuae eius a vertice
cirrus appositus est cum inscriptione Graeca ; nunc
demum agona esse, et traderet tandem. Alterius
collo aa-Kos praeligatus 2 simulque titulus : " Ego egi
quod potui. 3 Sed tu cullum 4 meruisti." Ascriptum
et columnis, etiam Gallos eum cantando excitasse.

1 lucranti, Oudendorp ; lucrantia, ft ; lucrantium,
a atricbs praeligatus, Howard (Harv. Stud. vii. 208); ascopa
deligata, mss.

3 ego egi quod potui, Howard ; ego quid potui, XI.

4 cullum, Howard ; culleum, XI.

a Instead of to their landlords. These people had no
rating on the census list and their contribution took this form.

* That is, tested by fire ; see Pliny, N.H. 33. 59.

c By using, for his own purposes, ships which would other-
wise have been loaded with grain; but the text and the
meaning are uncertain.

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their masters a stated number of slaves, accepting
only the choicest from each household and not even
exempting paymasters and secretaries. He also re-
quired all classes to contribute a part of their
incomes, and all tenants of private houses and
apartments to pay a years rent at once to the privy
purse. a With great fastidiousness and rigour he
demanded newly minted coin, refined silver, and
pure gold, 6 so that many openly refused to make
any contribution at all, unanimously demanding that
he should rather compel the informers to give up
whatever rewards had been paid them.

XLV. The bitter feeling against him was increased
because he also turned the high cost of grain to his
profit ; c for indeed, it so fell out that while the people
were suffering from hunger it was reported that a
ship had arrived from Alexandria, bringing sand for
the court wrestlers.

When he had thus aroused the hatred of all, there
was no form of insult to which he was not subjected.
A curl d was placed on the head of his statue with
the inscription in Greek : " Now there is a real
contest* and you must at last surrender." To the
neck of another statue a sack was tied and with it
the words : " I have done what I could, but you have
earned the sack."/ People wrote on the columns
that he had stirred up even the Gauls 9 by his

d Doubtless an allusion to the long hair which he wore
during his Greek trip ; see chap. li.

• In contrast with those of the stage.

f The one in which parricides were put ; see Aug. xxxiii. 1.
But the text and the meaning are uncertain. Cf. Juv. 8. 213.

t There is obviously a pun on Galli, " Gauls," and galli,
"cocks," and on cantare in the sense of 4 4 sing" and of
"crow."

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lam noctibus iurgia cum servis plerique simulantes
crebro Vindicem poscebant.

XLVL Terrebatur ad hoc evidentibus portentis
somniorum et auspiciorum et ominum, cum
veteribus turn novis. Numquam antea somniare
solitus occisa demum matre vidit per quietem navem
sibi regenti extortum gubernaculum trahique se ab
Octavia uxore in artissimas tenebras et modo pinna-
tarum formicarum multitudine oppleri, modo a
simulacris gentium ad Pompei theatrum dedicatarum
circumiri arcerique progressu ; asturconem, quo
maxime laetabatur, posteriore corporis parte in
simiae speciem transfiguratum ac tantum capite

2 integro hinnitus edere canoros. De Mausoleo,
sponte foribus patefactis, exaudita vox est nomine
eum cientis. Kal. Ian. exornati Lares in ipso sacri-
ficii apparatu conciderunt ; auspicanti Sporus anulum
muneri optulit, cuius gemmae scalptura 1 erat Proser-
pinae raptus; votorum nuncupatione, magna iam
ordinum frequentia, vix repertae Capitolii claves.

3 Cum ex oratione eius, qua in Vindicem perorabat,
recitaretur in senatu daturos poenas sceleratos ac
brevi dignum exitum facturos, conclamatum est ab
universis: "Tu facies, Auguste." Observatum
etiam fuerat novissimam fabulam cantasse eum

• Punning of course on Vindex, the leader of the revolt.

* On the first of January, for the prosperity of the
emperor and the State.

Of course used in a double sense.

scalptura] sculptura, n.

170

NERO

singing. When night came on, many men pretended
to be wrangling with their slaves and kept calling out
for a defender.**

XLVI. In addition he was frightened by manifest
portents from dreams, auspices and omens, both old
and new. Although he had never before been in the
habit of dreaming, after he had killed his mother it
seemed to him that he was steering a ship in his
sleep and that the helm was wrenched from his
hands; that he was dragged by his wife Octavia
into thickest darkness, and that he was now covered
with a swarm of winged ants, and now was surrounded
by the statues of the nations which had been
dedicated in Pompey's theatre and stopped in his
tracks. A Spanish steed of which he was very fond
was changed into the form of an ape in the hinder
parts of its body, and its head, which alone remained
unaltered, gave forth tuneful neighs. The doors of the
Mausoleum flew open of their own accord, and a voice
was heard from within summoning him by name.
After the Lares had been adorned on the Kalends of
January, they fell to the ground in the midst of the
preparations for the sacrifice. As he was taking the
auspices, Sporus made him a present of a ring with a
stone on which was engraved the rape of Proserpina.
When the vows were to be taken 6 and a great throng
of all classes had assembled, the keys of the Capitol
could not be found for a long time. When a speech
of his in which he assailed Vindex was being read in
the senate, at the words " the wretches will suffer
punishment and will shortly meet the end which they
deserve," all who were present cried out with one
voice : " You will do it, Augustus." c It also had not
failed of notice that the last piece which he sang in

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publice Oedipodem exsulem atque in hoc desisse 1
versu :

0avciv fj. 1 avaiyc 8 crvyya/Aos, pyrrjpi vanqp.

XLVII. Nuntiata interim etiam ceterorum exer-
cituum defectione litteras prandenti sibi redditas
concerpsit, mensam subvertit, duos scyphos gratissimi
usus, quos Homerios a caelatura carminum Homeri
vocabat, solo inlisit ac sumpto a Lucusta veneno et
in auream pyxidem condito transiit in hortos Ser-
vilianos, ubi praemissis libertorum fidissimis Ostiam
ad classem praeparandam tribunos centurionesque

2 praetorii de fugae societate temptavit. Sed partim
tergiversantibus, partim aperte detrectantibus, uno
vero etiam proclamante :

" Usque adeone mori miserum est ?"

varie agitavit, Parthosne an Galbam supplex peteret,
an atratus prodiret in publicum proque rostris quanta
maxima posset miseratione veniam praeteritorum
precaretur, ac ni flexisset animos, vel Aegypti prae-
fecturam concedi sibi oraret. 'Inventus est postea in
scrinio eius hac de re sermo formatus ; sed deterritum
putant, ne prius quam in Forum perveniret dis-
cerperetur.

3 Sic cogitatione in posterum diem dilata ad mediam
fere noctem excitatus, ut comperit stationem militum

1 desisse, r ; dedisse, MX (dixisse, P) ; finem dedisse, O ;
decidisee, T. 2 /*' &vwy*\ /*«f«*7«, fl.

a Pliny, N.H. 37. 29, tells us that the cups were of crystal.
» Verg. Aen. 12. 646.

17a

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public was " Oedipus in Exile," and that he ended
with the line :

" Wife, father, mother drive me to my death."

XLVII. When meanwhile word came that the other
armies had revolted, he tore to pieces the dispatches
which were handed to him as he was dining, tipped
over the table, and dashed to the ground two favourite
drinking cups, which he called " Homeric," because
they were carved with scenes from Homer's poems. a
Then taking some poison from Locusta and putting
it into a golden box, he crossed over into the
Servilian gardens, where he tried to induce the
tribunes and centurions of the Guard to accompany
him in his flight, first sending his most trustworthy
freedmen to Ostia, to get a fleet ready. But when
some gave evasive answers and some openly refused,
one even cried :

" Is it so dreadful a thing then to die ? " 6

Whereupon he turned over various plans in his mind,
whether to go as a suppliant to the Parthians or
Galba, or to appear to the people on the rostra,
dressed in black, and beg as pathetically as he could
for pardon for his past offences ; and if he could not
soften their hearts, to entreat them at least to allow
him the prefecture of Egypt. Afterwards a speech
composed for this purpose was found in his writing
desk ; but it is thought that he did not dare to deliver
it for fear of being torn to pieces before he could
reach the Forum.

Having therefore put off further consideration to
the following day, he awoke about midnight and
finding that the guard of soldiers had left, he sprang

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recessisse, prosiluit e lecto misitque circum amicos,
et quia nihil a quoquam renuntiabatur, ipse cum
paucis hospitia singulorum adiit. Verum clausis
omnium foribus, respondente nullo, in cubiculum
rediit, unde iam et custodes diffugerant, direptis
etiam stragulis, amota et pyxide veneni; ac statim
Spiculum murmillonem vel quemlibet alium per-
cussorem, cuius manu periret, requisiit et nemine
reperto: "Ergo ego/' inquit, "nec amicum habeo
nec inimicum ? " procurritque, quasi praecipitaturus
se in Tiberim.

XL VII I. Sed revocato rursus impetu aliquid
secretions latebrae ad colligendum animum de-
sideravit, et offerente Phaonte liberto suburbanum
suum inter Salariam et Nomentanam viam circa
quartum miliarium, ut erat nudo pede atque tuni-
catus, paenulam obsoleti coloris superinduit adoperto-
que capite et ante faciem optento sudario equum
inscendit, quattuor solis comitantibus, inter quos et

2 Sporus erat. Statimque tremore terrae et fulgure
ad verso pavefactus audiit e proximis castris clamorem
militum et sibi adversa et Galbae prospera ominan-
tium, etiam ex obviis viatoribus quendam dicentem :
" Hi Neronem persequuntur," alium sciscitantem :
" Ecquid 1 in urbe novi de Nerone ? " Equo autem
ex odore abiecti in via cadaveris consternato, detecta
facie agnitus est a quodam missicio praetoriano et

3 salutatus. Ut ad deverticulum ventum est, dimissis
equis inter fruticeta ac vepres per harundineti

1 ecquid, second Roman edition ; etquid, XI.

° In the Palace. * See chap. xxx. 2.

* The word percussor implies experience in dealing death.
Nero wished to be killed swiftly and painlessly.

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from his bed and sent for all his friends. Since no
reply came back from anyone, he went himself to
their rooms a with a few followers. But finding that
all the doors were closed and that no one replied to
him, he returned to his own chamber, from which now
the very caretakers had fled, taking with them even
the bed-clothing and the box of poison. Then he at
once called for the gladiator Spiculus 6 or any other
adept c at whose hand he might find death, and when
no one appeared, he cried " Have I then neither
friend nor foe ? " and ran out as if to throw himself
into the Tiber.

XLVIII. Changing his purpose again, he sought for
some retired place, where he could hide and collect
his thoughts; and when his freedmen Phaon offered
his villa in the suburbs between the Via Nomentana
and the Via Salaria near the fourth milestone, just as
he was, barefooted and in his tunic, he put on a
faded cloak, covered his head, and holding a hand-
kerchief before his face, mounted a horse with only
four attendants, one of whom was Sporus. At once
he was startled by a shock of earthquake and a flash
of lightning full in his face, and he heard the shouts
of the soldiers from the camp hard by, as they
prophesied destruction for him and success for Galba.
He also heard one of the wayfarers whom he met say :
" These men are after Nero," and another ask : " Is
there anything new in the city about Nero ? " Then
his horse took fright at the smell of a corpse which
had been thrown out into the road, his face was
exposed, and a retired soldier of the Guard recognised
him and saluted him. When they came to a by-path
leading to the villa, they turned the horses loose and
he made his way amid bushes and brambles and along

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semitam aegre nec nisi strata sub pedibus veste ad
aversum 1 villae parietem evasit. Ibi hortante eodem
Phaonte, ut interim in specum egestae harenae con-
cederet, negavit se vivum sub terram iturum, ac parum-
per commoratus, dum clandestinus ad villam introitus
pararetur, aquam ex subiecta lacuna poturus manu
hausit et: "Haec est/' inquit, "Neronis decocta."

4 Dein divolsa sentibus paenula traiectos surculos rasit,
atque ita quadripes per angustias efFossae cavernae
receptus in proximam cellam decubuit super lectum
modica culcita, vetere pallio strato, instructum ;
fameque et iterum siti interpellate panem quidem
sordidum oblatum aspernatus est, aquae autem tepidae
aliquantum bibit.

XLIX. Tunc uno quoque hinc inde instante ut
quam priraum se impendentibus contumeliis eriperet,
scrobem coram fieri imperavit dimensus ad corporis
sui modulum, componique simul, si qua invenirentur,
frusta marmoris et aquam simul ac ligna conferri cu-
rando mox cadaveri, flens ad singula atque identidem
dictitans : " Qualis artifex pereo ! "

2 Inter moras perlatos a cursore Phaonti codicillos
praeripuit legitque se hostem a senatu iudicatum et
quaeri, ut puniatur more maiorum, interrogavitque
quale id genus esset poenae ; et cum comperisset

1 aversum, «7. F. Gronov ; adversum, fi.

° Referring to a drink of his own contrivance, distilled
water cooled in snow ; cf. Pliny, N. H. 31. 40.

* Gella implies a small room, for the use of slaves.

• The water was for washing the corpse and the fire for
burning it. * Cf. Claud, xxxiv. 1.

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a path through a thicket of reeds to the back wall of
the house, with great difficulty and only when a robe
was thrown down for him to walk on. Here the afore-
said Phaon urged him to hide for a time in a pit,
from which sand had been dug, but he declared
that he would not go under ground while still
alive, and after waiting for a while until a secret
entrance into the villa could be made, he scooped
up in his hand some water to drink from a
pool close by, saying : " This is Nero's distilled
water." a Then, as his cloak had been torn by the
thorns, he pulled out the twigs which had pierced it,
and crawling on all fours through a narrow passage
that had been dug, he entered the villa and lay
down in the first room 6 he came to, on a couch with
a common mattress, over which an old cloak had
been thrown. Though suffering from hunger and
renewed thirst, he refused some coarse bread which
was offered him, but drank a little lukewarm water.

XLIX. At last, while his companions one and all
urged him to save himself as soon as possible from
the indignities that threatened him, he bade them
dig a grave in his presence, proportioned to the size
of his own person, collect any bits of marble that
could be found, and at the same time bring water
and wood for presently disposing of his body. As
each of these things was done, he wept and said again
and again : " What an artist the world is losing ! "

While he hesitated, a letter was brought to Phaon
by one of his couriers. Nero snatching it from his
hand read that he had been pronounced a public
enemy by the senate, and that they were seeking
him to punish him in the ancient fashion ; d and he
asked what manner of punishment that was. When

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nudi hominis cervicem inseri furcae, corpus virgis ad
necem caedi, conterritus duos pugiones, quos secum
extulerat, arripuit temptataque utriusque acie rursus

3 condidit, causatus nondum adesse fatalem horam. Ac
modo Sporum liortabatur ut lamentari ac plangere
inciperet, modo orabat ut se aliquis ad mortem
capessendam exemplo iuvaret ; interdum segnitiem
suam his verbis increpabat : " Vivo deformiter,
turpiter — ov irpejrct Ncpwvi, ov irpiwei — vrj<j>€iv Set
€v rots Totovrots — aye eyctpc a-eavTov." Iamque equites
appropinquabant, quibus praeceptum erat ut vivum
eum adtraherent. Quod ut sensit, trepidanter
effatus :

'Iinrwv fjJ cuKiwrdoW d/x<£i ktvtto% ouara ^aAAct

ferrum iugulo adegit iuvante Epaphrodito a libellis.

4 Semianimisque adhuc irrumpenti centurioni et paenula
ad vulnus adposita in auxilium se venisse simulanti
non aliud respondit quam: "Sero," et: "Haec est
fides." Atque in ea voce defecit, exstantibus rigenti-
busque oculis usque ad horrorem formidinemque
visentium. Nihil prius aut magis a comitibus exegerat
quam ne potestas cuiquam capitis sui fieret, sed ut
quoquo modo totus cremaretur. Permisit hoc Icelus, 1
Galbae libertus, non multo ante yinculis exsolutus, in
quae primo tumultu coniectus fuerat.

L. Funeratus est impensa ducentorum milium,

* Two pieces of wood, fastened together in the form of a

* Iliad. 10. 536. • See Domit. xiv. 4.

* See GtUba, xiv. 2.

1 Icelus, Politianus ; hiceius, XI.

i 7 8

NERO

he learned that the criminal was stripped, fastened
by the neck in a fork a and then beaten to death
with rods, in mortal terror he seized two daggers
which he had brought with him, and then, after
trying the point of each, put them up again, pleading
that the fated hour had not yet come. Now he would
beg Sporus to begin to lament and wail, and now
entreat someone to help him take his life by setting
him the example ; anon he reproached himself for
his cowardice in such words as these: "To live is
a scandal and shame — this does not become Nero,
does not become him — one should be resolute at such
times — come, rouse thyself!" And now the horse-
men were at hand who had orders to take him off
alive. When he heard them, he quavered :

" Hark, now strikes on my ear the trampling of
swift-footed coursers ! " 6

and drove a dagger into his throat, aided by
Epaphroditus, his private secretary. 6 He was all
but dead when a centurion rushed in, and as he
placed a cloak to the wound, pretending that he had
come to aid him, Nero merely gasped : "Too late ! "
and " This is fidelity ! " With these words he was
gone, with eyes so set and starting from their sockets
that all who saw him shuddered with horror. First
and beyond all else he had forced from his com-
panions a promise to let no one have his head,
but to contrive in some way that he be buried
unmutilated. And this was granted by Icelus,
Galba's freedman, d who had shortly before been re-
leased from the bondage to which he was consigned at
the beginning of the revolt.

L. He was buried at a cost of two hundred

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stragulis albis auro intextis, quibus usus Kal. Ian.
fuerat. Reliquias Egloge 1 et Alexandria nutrices
cum Acte concubina gentili Domitiorum monimento
condiderunt, quod prospicitur e campo Martio impo-
situm colli 2 Hortulorum. In eo monimento solium
porphyretici marmoris, superstante Lunensi ara,
circumsaeptum est lapide Thasio.

LI. Statura fuit prope iusta, corpore maculoso et
fetid o, subflavo capillo, vultu pulchro magis quam
venusto, oculis caesis et hebetioribus, cervice obesa,
ventre proiecto, gracillimis cruribus, valitudine
prospera ; nam qui luxuriae immoderatissimae esset,
ter omnino per quattuordecim annos languit, at-
que ita ut neque vino neque consuetudine reliqua
abstineret ; circa cultum habitumque adeo pudendus,
ut comam semper in gradus formatam peregrinatione
Achaica etiam pone verticem summiserit ac pler-
umque synthesinam indutus ligato circum collum
sudario prodierit in publicum sine cinctu et discal-
ciatus.

LI I. Liberalis disciplinas omnis fere puer attigit.
Sed a philosophia eum mater avertit monens impera-
turo contrariam esse ; a cognitione veterum oratorum
Seneca praeceptor, quo diutius in admiratione sui
detineret. Itaque ad poeticam pronus carmina

1 Egloge] Ecloge, Basle ed. o/1533.
3 colli, Stephanus ; colle, ; collo, CL

° The modern Pincio.

6 The synthe8ina (sc. vestis), or synthesis, was a loose robe
of bright-coloured silk, worn at dinner, during the Saturnalia,

180

NERO

thousand sesterces and laid out in white robes embroi-
dered with gold, which he had worn on the Kalends
of January. His ashes were deposited by his nurses,
Egloge and Alexandria, accompanied by his mistress
Acte, in the family tomb of the Domitii on the summit
of the Hill of Gardens,* which is visible from the
Campus Martius. In that monument his sarcophagus
of porphyry, with an altar of Luna marble standing
above it, is enclosed by a balustrade of Thasian stone.

LI. He was about the average height, his body
marked with spots and malodorous, his hair light
blond, his features regular rather than attractive,
his eyes blue and somewhat weak, his neck over
thick, his belly prominent, and his legs very slender.
His health was good, for though indulging in every
kind of riotous excess, he was ill but three times in
all during the fourteen years of his reign, and even
then not enough to give up wine or any of his usual
habits. He was utterly shameless in the care of his
person and in his dress, always having his hair
arranged in tiers of curls, and during the trip to
Greece also letting it grow long and hang down
behind ; and he often appeared in public in a dining-
robe, 6 with a handkerchief bound about his neck,
ungirt and unshod. 6

LI I. When a boy he took up almost all the v ,
liberal arts ; but his mother turned him from philo-
sophy, warning him that it was a drawback to one
who was going to rule, while Seneca kept him from
reading the early orators, to make his admiration for
his teacher endure the longer. Turning therefore to

and by women at other times. Nero's is described by Dio,
63. 13, as "a short, flowered tunic with a muslin collar."
c Probably meaning " in slippers."

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libenter ac sine labore composuit nec, ut quidam
putant, aliena pro suis edidit. Venere in manus
meas pugillares libellique cum quibusdam notissimis
versibus ipsius chirographo scriptis, ut facile appar-
eret non tralatos aut dictante aliquo exceptos, sed
plane quasi a cogitante atque generante exaratos;
ita multa et deleta et inducta et superscripta inerant.
Habuit et pingendi fingendique 1 non mediocre
studium.

LI 1 1. Maxime 2 autem popularitate efferebatur, om-
nium aemulus, qui quoquo modo animum vulgi move-
rent. Exiit opinio post scaenicas coronas proximo
lustro descensurum eum ad Olympia 3 inter athletas ;
nam et luctabatur assidue nec aliter certamina
gymnica tota Graecia spectaverat quam brabeutarum
more in stadio humi assidens ac, si qua paria longius
recessissent, in medium manibus suis protrahens.
Destinaverat etiam, quia Apollinem cantu, Solem
aurigando aequiperare existimaretur, imitari et
Herculis facta ; praeparatumque leonem aiunt, quern
vel clava vel brachiorum nexibus in amphitheatri
harena spectante populo nudus elideret.

LIV. Sub exitu quidem vitae palam voverat, si
sibi incolumis status permansisset, proditurum se
partae victoriae ludis etiam hydraulam et choraulam
et utricularium ac novissimo die histrionem saltatu-

1 A had maxime after fingendique, a misplaced emendation
of the following maxima. 8 maxime, $- ; maxima, XI.
8 Olympia, ; Olympiam, XI.

a See note on Aug. xcvii. 1. Here lustrum is applied to
the five-year period of the Olympic games.

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poetry, he wrote verses with eagerness and without
labour, and did not, as some think, publish the work
of others as his own. I have had in my possession
note-books and papers with some well-known verses
of his, written with his own hand and in such wise
that it was perfectly evident that they were not
copied or taken down from dictation, but worked out
exactly as one writes when thinking and creating;
so many instances were there of words erased or
struck through and written above the lines. He like-
wise had no slight interest in painting and sculpture.

LIU. But above all he was carried away by a craze ^
for popularity and he was jealous of all who in any
way stirred the feeling of the mob. It was the general
belief that after his victories on the stage he would at
the next lustrum a have competed with the athletes at
Olympia ; for he practised wrestling constantly, and
all over Greece he had always viewed the gymnastic
contests after the fashion of the judges, sitting on the
ground in the stadium ; and if any pairs of contest-
ants withdrew too far from their positions, he would
force them forward with his own hand. Since he
was acclaimed as the equal of Apollo in music and of
the Sun in driving a chariot, he had planned to
emulate the exploits of Hercules as well; and they
say that a lion had been specially trained for him
to kill naked in the arena of the amphitheatre before
all the people, with a club or by the clasp of his
arms.

LIV. Towards the end of his life, in fact, he had
publicly vowed that if he retained his power, he
would at the games in celebration of his victory give a
performance on the water-organ, the flute, and the
bagpipes, and that on the last day he would appear

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rumque Vergili Turnum. Et sunt qui tradant
Paridem histrionem occisum ab eo quasi gravem
adversarium.

LV. Erat illi aeternitatis perpetuaeque famae
cupido, sed inconsulta. Ideoque multis rebus ac
locis vetere appellatione detracta novam indixit ex
suo nomine, mensem quoque Aprilem Neroneum
appellavit ; destinaverat et Romam Neropolim
nuncupare.

LVI. Religionum usque quaque contemptor, prae-
ter unius Deae Syriae, hanc mox ita sprevit ut urina
contaminaret, alia superstitione captus, in qua sola
pertinacissime haesit, siquidem imagunculam puel-
larem, cum quasi remedium insidiarum a plebeio
quodam et ignoto muneri accepisset, detecta
confestim coniuratione pro summo numine trinisque
in die sacrificiis colere perseveravit volebatque credi
monitione eius futura praenoscere. Ante paucos
quam periret menses attendit et extispicio nec
umquam litavit.

LVI I. Obiit tricensimo et secundo aetatis anno,
die quo quondam Octaviam interemerat, tantumque
gaudium publice praebuit, ut plebs pilleata tota urbe
discurreret. Et tamen non defuerunt qui per longum
tempus vernis aestivisque floribus tumulum eius
ornarent ac modo imagines praetextatas in rostris
proferrent, modo edicta quasi viventis et brevi
2 magno inimicorum malo reversuri. Quin etiam
Vologaesus Parthorum rex missis ad senatum legatis

° Atargatis, the principal deity of Northern Syria, identi-
fied with Magna Mater and Caelestis ; often mentioned in
inscriptions and called by Apul. Met am. 8. 25, omnipotens et
omniparens. b See note on Tib. iv. 2.

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as an actor and dance "Vergil's Turnus." Some
even assert that he put the actor Paris to death as a
dangerous rival.

LV. He had a longing for immortality and undying
fame, though it was ill-regulated. With this in view
he took their former appellations from many things
and numerous places and gave them new ones from
his own name. He also called the month of April
Neroneus and was minded to name Rome Neropolis.

LVI. He utterly despised all cults, with the sole
exception of that of the Syrian Goddess," and even
acquired such a contempt for her that he made water
on her image, after he was enamoured of another
superstition, which was the only one to which he
constantly clung. For he had received as a gift from
some unknown man of the commons, as a protection
against plots, a little image of a girl ; and since a con-
spiracy at once came to light, he continued to venerate
it as a powerful divinity and to offer three sacrifices to
it every day, encouraging the belief that through its
communication he had knowledge of the future. A
few months before his death he did attend an
inspection of victims, but could not get a favourable
omen.

LVII. He met his death in the thirty-second year 68 a.d.
of his age, on the anniversary of the murder of
Octavia, and such was the public rejoicing that the
people put on liberty-caps 6 and ran about all over the
city. Yet there were some who for a long time
decorated his tomb with spring and summer flowers,
and now produced his statues on the rostra in the
fringed toga, and now his edicts, as if he were still
alive and would shortly return and deal destruction
to his enemies. Nay more, Vologaesus, king of the

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de instauranda societate hoc etiam magno opere
oravit, lit Neronis memoria coleretur. Denique cum
post viginti annos adulescente me exstitisset condi-
cionis incertae qui se Neronem esse iactaret, tarn
favorabile nomen eius apud Parthos fuit, ut vehe-
menter adiutus et vix redditus sit.

186

NERO

Parthians, when he sent envoys to the senate to renew
his alliance, earnestly begged this too, that honour
be paid to the memory of Nero. In fact, twenty
years later, when I was a young man, a person of
obscure origin appeared, who gave out that he was
Nero," and the name was still in such favour with the
Parthians that they supported him vigorously and
surrendered him with great reluctance.

a In 88, Terentius Maximus by name ; another pseudo-
Nero had appeared in 70 ; see Tac. Hist. 2. 8.

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BOOK VII

GALBA, OTHO, AND VITELLIUS

Digitized by Google

LIBER VII

GALBA OTHO VITELLIUS

Galba

I. Progenies Caesarum in Nerone defecit : quod
futurum compluribus quidem signis, sed vel eviden-
tissimis duobus apparuit. Liviae olim post Augusti
statim nuptias Veientanum suum rcvisenti praeter-
volans aquila gallinam albam ramulum lauri rostro
tenentem, ita ut rapuerat, demisit in gremium ; cum-
que nutriri alitem, pangi ramulum placuisset, tanta
pullorum suboles provenit, ut hodieque ea villa " ad
Gallinas" vocetur, tale vero lauretum, ut triumpha-
turi Caesares inde laureas decerperent ; fuitque mos
triumphantibus, alias confestim eodem loco pangere ;
et observatum est sub cuiusque obitum arborem ab
ipso institutam elanguisse. Ergo novissimo Neronis
anno et silva omnis exaruit radicitus, et quidquid ibi
gallinarum erat interiit. Ac subinde tacta de caelo
Caesarum aede capita omnibus simul statuis de-
ciderunt, Augusti etiam sceptrum e manibus
excussum est.

a Nero was the last who bore the name because of connec-
tion with the family of Augustus ; after him it became a

c Those which they carried in their triumph, according to
Pliny, N.H. 15. 136 f. d No such temple is known.

190

BOOK VII

GALBA, OTHO, AND VITELLIUS
Galba

I. The race of the Caesars ended with Nero. a That
this would be so was shown by many portents and
especially by two very significant ones. Years before,
as Livia was returning to her estate near Veii, imme-
diately after her marriage with Augustus, an eagle 88 b.g.
which flew by dropped into her lap a white hen,
holding in its beak a sprig of laurel, just as the
eagle had carried it off. Livia resolved to rear the
fowl and plant the sprig, whereupon such a great
brood of chickens was hatched that to this day the
villa is called Ad Gallinas, b and such a grove of
laurel sprang up, that the Caesars gathered their
laurels from it when they were going to celebrate
triumphs. Moreover it was the habit of those who
triumphed to plant other branches c at once in that
same place, and it was observed that just before the
death of each of them the tree which he had planted
withered. Now in Nero's last year the whole grove
died from the root up, as well as all the hens.
Furthermore, when shortly afterwards the temple of
the Caesars d was struck by lightning, the heads fell
from all the statues at the same time, and his sceptre,
too, was dashed from the hand of Augustus.

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II. Neroni Galba successit nullo gradu contingens
Caesarum domum, sed haud dubie nobilissimus
magnaque et vetere prosapia, ut qui statuarum titulis
pronepotem se Quinti Catuli Capitolini semper
ascripserit, imperator vero etiam stemma in atrio
proposuerit, quo paternam originem ad Iovem,
maternam ad Pasiphaam Minonis uxorem referret.

III. Imagines et elogia universi generis exsequi
longum est, familiae breviter attingam. Qui primus
Sulpiciorum cognomen Galbae tulit cur aut unde
traxerit, ambigitur. Quidam putant, quod oppidum
Hispaniae frustra diu oppugnatum inlitis demum
galbano facibus succenderit; alii, quod in diuturna
valitudine galbeo, id est remediis lana involutis,
assidue uteretur ; nonnulli, quod praepinguis fuerit
visus, quern galbam Galli vocent ; vel contra, quod
tarn exilis, quam sunt animalia quae in aesculis
nascuntur appellanturque galbae.

2 Familiam illustravit Servius Galba consularis, tem-

porum suorum vel 1 eloquentissimus, quem tradunt

Hispaniam ex praetura optinentem, triginta Lusitan-

orum milibus perfidia trucidatis, Viriatini belli causam

exstitisse. Eius nepos ob repulsam consulatus in-

fensus Iulio Caesari, cuius legatus in Gallia fuerat, con-

1 vel, Bentley ; et, mss. except n 1 , which omits the word.

° No existing inscription confirms this statement.
* That is, of those of the Sulpicii who bore the surname

e The gum of a Syrian plant ; see Pliny, N.H. 12. 12G.

Galba.

192

GALBA

II. Nero was succeeded by Galba, who was related 68 a.d.
in no degree to the house of the Caesars, although
unquestionably of noble origin and of an old and
powerful family; for he always added to the in-
scriptions on his statues that he was the great-
grandson of Quintus Catulus Capitolinus,* and when

he became emperor he even displayed a family tree
in his hall in which he carried back his ancestry on
his father's side to Jupiter and on his mothers to
Pasiphae, the wife of Minos.

III. It would be a long story to give in detail his
illustrious ancestors and the honorary inscriptions of
the entire race, but I shall give a brief account of
his immediate family. 6 It is uncertain why the first
of the Sulpicii who bore the surname Galba assumed
the name, and whence it was derived. Some
think that it was because after having for a long
time unsuccessfully besieged a town in Spain, he at
last set fire to it by torches smeared with galbanum e ;
others because during a long illness he made constant
use of galbeum, that is to say of remedies wrapped in
wool ; still others, because he was a very fat man,
such as the Gauls term galba, or because he was, on
the contrary, as slender as the insects called galbae,
which breed in oak trees.

The family acquired distinction from Servius Galba, mb »•«.
who became consul and was decidedly the most
eloquent speaker of his time. This man, they say,
was the cause of the war with Viriathus, because i50-is«
while governing Spain as propraetor, he treacherously B,a
massacred thirty thousand of the Lusitanians. His
grandson had been one of Caesar's lieutenants in
Gaul, but angered because his commander caused his
defeat for the consulship, he joined the conspiracy

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spiravit cum Cassio et Bruto, propter quod Pedia lege

3 damnatus est. Ab hoc sunt imperatoris Galbae avus
ac pater : avus clarior studiis quam dignitate — non
enim egressus praeturae gradum — multiplicem nec
incuriosam historiam edidit ; pater consulatu functus,
quanquam brevi corpore atque etiam gibber modicae-
que in dicendo facultatis, causas industrie actitavit.

4 Uxores habuit Mummiam Achaicam, neptem Catuli
proneptemque L. Mummi, qui Corinthum excidit ;
item Liviam Ocellinam ditem admodum et pulchram,
a qua tamen nobilitatis causa appetitus ultro existi-
matur et aliquanto enixius, postquam subinde instanti
vitium corporis secreto posita veste detexit, ne quasi
ignaram fall ere videretur. Ex Achaica liberos
Gaium et Servium 1 procreavit, quorum maior Gaius
attritis facultatibus urbe cessit prohibitusque a
Tiberio sortiri anno suo proconsulatum voluntaria
morte obiit.

IV. Ser. Galba imperator M. Valerio Messala Cn. 2

Lentulo cons, natus est Villi. Kal. Ian. in villa colli

superposita prope Tarracinam 8 sinistrorsus Fundos

petentibus, adoptatusque a noverca sua Li via nomen

et Ocellare cognomen assumpsit mutato praenomine ;

nam Lucium mox pro Servio 4 usque ad tempus

imperii usurpavit. Constat Augustum puero adhuc,

1 Servium, Glareanua; Sergium, fl.

a Cn. , ms8. ; it should be L.

8 Terracinam, fl. 4 Sergio, CI.

* See Nero, in. 1.

* That is, after his consulship. Tiberius doubtless sus-
pected him of a desire to enrich himself at the expense of
the provincials ; cf . Tib. xxxii. 2, at the end.

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with Brutus and Cassius, and was consequently
condemned to death by the Pedian law. a From him
were descended the grandfather and the father
of the emperor Galba. The former, who was more
eminent for his learning than for his rank — for he
did not advance beyond the grade of praetor —
published a voluminous and painstaking history.
The father attained the consulship, and although he 22 a.d
was short of stature and even hunchbacked, besides
being only an indifferent speaker, was an indus-
trious pleader at the bar. He married Mummia
Achaica, the granddaughter of Catulus and great-
granddaughter of Lucius Mummius who destroyed
Corinth ; and later Livia Ocellina, a very rich and
beautiful woman, who however is thought to have
sought marriage with him because of his high rank,
and the more eagerly when, in response to her
frequent advances, he took off his robe in private and
showed her his deformity, so as not to seem to
deceive her by concealing it. By Achaica he had
two sons, Gaius and Servius. Gaius, who was the
elder, left Rome after squandering the greater part
of his estate, and committed suicide because Tiberius
would not allow him to take part in the allotment
of the provinces in his year. 6

IV. The emperor Servius Galba was born in the Dec. 24,
consulship of Marcus Valerius Messala and Gnaeus 8 B C '
Lentulus, on the ninth day before the Kalends of
January, in a country house situated on a hill near
Tarracina, on the left as you go towards Fundi.
Adopted by his stepmother Livia, he took her name
and the surname Ocella, and also changed his
forename ; for he used Lucius, instead of Servius,
from that time until he became emperor. It is well

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salutanti se inter aequales, apprehensa buccula
dixisse : kolI <rv tIkvov rrjs a-PX?l$ ^ftwv iraparp(a(rj. 1
Sed et Tiberius, cum comperisset imperaturum eum
verum in senecta : " Vivat sane," ait, "quando id ad

2 nos nihil pertinet." Avo quoque eius fulgur pro-
curanti, cum exta de manibus aquila rapuisset et in
frugiferam quercum contulisset, responsum est
summum sed serum imperium portendi familiae ; et
ille irridens : "Sane," inquit, "cum mula pepererit."
Nihil aeque postea Galbam temptantem res novas
confirmavit quam mulae partus, ceterisque ut
obscaenum ostentum abhorrentibus, solus pro laetis-
simo accepit memor sacrificii dictique avi.

3 Sumpta virili toga somniavit Fortunam dicentem,
stare se ante fores defessam et nisi ocius reciperetur,
cuicumque obvio praedae futuram. Utque evigilavit,
aperto atrio simulacrum aeneum deae cubitali maius
iuxta limen invenit idque gremio suo Tusculum, ubi
aestivare consueverat, avexit et in parte aedium con-
secratum menstruis deinceps supplicationibus et
pervigilio anniversario coluit.

4 Quanquam autem nondum aetate constanti
veterem civitatis exoletumque morem ac tantum in

1 irapaTpatj), Tumtbus ; iropoTpwfi;, fl.

* The usual procedure, to avert the evil omen.

* Proverbial for "never," like the Greek Kalends (Aug.
lxxxvii. 1).

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known that when he was still a boy and called
to pay his respects to Augustus with others of
his age, the emperor pinched his cheek and said in
Greek : " Thou too, child, wilt have a nibble at this
power of mine." Tiberius too, when he heard that
Galba was destined to be emperor, but in his old
age, said : " Well, let him live then, since that does
not concern me." Again, when Galba's grandfather
was busy with a sacrifice for a stroke of lightning,®
and an eagle snatched the intestines from his hand and
carried them to an oak full of acorns, the prediction
was made that the highest dignity would come
to the family, but late ; whereupon he said with a
laugh : " Very likely, when a mule has a foal. 6 "
Afterwards when Galba was beginning his revolt,
nothing gave him so much encouragement as the
foaling of a mule, and while the rest were horrified
and looked on it as an unfavourable omen, he alone
regarded it as most propitious, remembering the
sacrifice and his grandfather's saying.

When he assumed the gown of manhood, he
dreamt that Fortune said that she was tired of
standing before his door, and that unless she were
quickly admitted, she would fall a prey to the first
comer. When he awoke, opening the door of the
hall, he found close by the threshold a bronze
statue of Fortune more than a cubit high. This he
carried in his arms to Tusculum, where he usually
spent the summer, and consecrated it in a room
of his house ; and from that time on he honoured it
with monthly sacrifices and a yearly vigil.

Even before he reached middle life, he persisted
in keeping up an old and forgotten custom of
his country, which survived only in his own house-

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domo sua haerentem obstinatissime retinuit, ut
liberti servique bis die frequentes adessent ac mane
salvere, vesperi valere sibi singuli dicerent.

V. Inter liberales disciplinas attendit et iuri.
Dedit et matrimonio operam; verum amissa uxore
Lepida duobusque ex ea filiis remansit in caelibatu
neque sollicitari ulla condicione amplius potuit, ne
Agrippinae quidem, quae 1 viduata morte Domiti
maritum quoque adhuc necdum caelibem Galbam
adeo omnibus sollicitaverat modis, ut in conventu
matronarum correpta iurgio atque etiam manu
pulsata sit a matre Lepidae.

2 Observavit ante omnis Liviam Augustam, cuius et
vivae gratia plurimum valuit et mortuae testamento
paene ditatus est; sestertium namque quingenties
praecipuum inter legatarios habuit, sed quia notata,
non perscripta erat summa, herede Tiberio legatum
ad quingenta revocante, ne haec quidem accepit.

VI. Honoribus ante legitimum tempus initis
praetor commissione ludorum Floralium novum
spectaculi genus elephantos funambulos edidit ; exim
provinciae Aquitaniae anno fere praefuit ; mox
consulatum per sex menses ordinarium gessit, even-
itque ut in eo ipse L. 2 Domitio patri Neronis, ipsi
Salvius Otho pater Othonis succederet, velut prae-

1 quae, added by G. Becker ; n* and Q have it after Domiti.
8 L. m88. (Lucio, O) ; Cn., Torrentius.

a To marry and rear a family was regarded as one of the
duties of a good citizen. * Cf. Nero, xi. 2.

c That is to say, entering office on January 1, and with
his colleague, L. Cornelius Sulla, giving his name to the year.

198

GALBA

hold, of having his freedmen and slaves appear before
him twice a day in a body, greeting him in the
morning and bidding him farewell at evening, one
by one.

V. Among other liberal studies he applied himself
to the law. He also assumed a husband's duties,*
but after losing his wife Lepida and two sons whom
he had by her, he remained a widower. And he
could not be tempted afterwards by any match, not
even with Agrippina, who no sooner lost Domitius by
death than she set her cap for Galba so obviously,
even before the death of his wife, that Lepida's
mother scolded her roundly before a company of
matrons and went so far as to slap her.

He showed marked respect to Livia Augusta,
to whose favour he owed great influence during her
lifetime and by whose last will he almost became a
rich man ; for he had the largest bequest among her
legatees, one of fifty million sesterces. But because
the sum was designated in figures and not written
out in words, Tiberius, who was her heir, reduced
the bequest to five hundred thousand, and Galba
never received even that amount.

VI. He began his career of office before the legal
age, and in celebrating the games of the Floralia in
his praetorship he gave a new kind of exhibition,
namely of elephants walking the rope. 6 Then he
governed the province of Aquitania for nearly a year

and soon afterwards held a regular consulship c for six 33 a.d.
months ; and it chanced that in this office he
succeeded Lucius d Domitius, the father of Nero, and
was succeeded by Salvius Otho, the father of

d Either Suetonius is in error or the manuscripts ; the
name should be Gnaeus.

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sagium insequentis casus, quo medius inter utriusque
filios exstitit imperator.

2 A Gaio Caesare legatus Germaniae superioris in
locum Gaetulici 1 substitutes, postridie quam ad
legiones venit, sollemni forte spectaculo plaudentes
inhibuit data tessera, ut manus paenula 2 continerent ;
statimque per castra iactatum est :

" Disce miles militare ; Galba est, non Gaetulicus."

3 Pari severitate interdixit commeatus peti. Vetera-
num ac tironem militem opere assiduo corroboravit
matureque barbaris, qui iam in Galliam usque
proruperant, coercitis, praesenti quoque Gaio talem
et se et exercitum approbavit, ut inter innumeras
contractasque ex omnibus provinciis copias neque
testimonium neque praemia ampliora ulli perciperent ;
ipse maxime insignis, quod campestrem decursionem
scuto moderatus, etiam ad essedum imperatoris per
viginti passu um milia cucurrit.

VII. Caede Gai nuntiata multis ad occasionem
stimulantibus quietem praetulit. Per hoc gratissimus
Claudio receptusque in cohortem amicorum tantae
dignationis est habitus, ut cum subita ei valitudo nec
adeo gravis incidisset, dilatus sit expeditionis
Britannicae dies. Africam pro consule biennio

1 legatus Germaniae superioris in locum Gaetu-, supplied
by I km.

2 manus paenula, Salmasius ; manus paenulas, MXr (pae-
nulis, OST); manu paenulas, G.

• See Calig. xliii. and xliv. * Cf. Calig. xxvi. 2.

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the emperor Otho, a kind of omen of what happened
later, when he became emperor between the reigns
of the sons of these two men.

Appointed governor of Upper Germany by Gaius
Caesar in room of Gaetulicus, the day after he
appeared before the legions he put a stop to their
applause at a festival which chanced to fall at that
time, by issuing a written order to keep their hands
under their cloaks ; and immediately this verse was
bandied about the camp :

" Soldiers, learn to play the soldier ; 'tis Galba, not
Gaetulicus."

With equal strictness he put a stop to the requests
for furloughs. He got both the veterans and the
new recruits into condition by plenty of hard work,
speedily checked the barbarians, who had already
made inroads even into Gaul, and when Gaius
arrived,® Galba and his army made such a good
impression, that out of the great body of troops
assembled from all the provinces none received
greater commendation or richer rewards. Galba
particularly distinguished himself, while directing the
military mano2Uvres shield in hand, by actually run-
ning for twenty miles close beside the emperor's
chariot. 6

VII. When the murder of Gaius was announced,
although many urged Galba to take advantage of
the opportunity, he preferred quiet. Hence he
was in high favour with Claudius, became one of his
staff of intimate friends, and was treated with such
consideration that the departure of the expedition to
Britain was put off because Galba was taken with a
sudden illness, of no great severity. He governed

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optinuit extra sortem electus ad ordinandam
provinciam et intestina dissensione et barbarorum
tumultu inquietam ; ordinavitque magna severitatis
2 ac iustitiae cura etiam in parvulis rebus. Militi, qui
per expeditionem artissima annona residuum
cibariorum tritici modium centum denariis vendidisse
arguebatur, vetuit, simul atque indigere cibo coepisset,
a quoquam opem ferri ; et is fame extabuit. At in
iure dicendo cum de proprietate iumenti quaereretur,
levibus utrimque argumentis et testibus ideoque
difficili coniectura veritatis, ita decrevit ut ad lacum,
ubi adaquari solebat, duceretur capite involuto atque
ibidem revelato eius esset, ad quern sponte se a potti
recepisset.

VIII. Ob res et tunc in Africa et olim in
Germania gestas ornamenta triumphalia accepit et
sacerdotium triplex, inter quindecimviros sodalesque
Titios item Augustales cooptatus ; atque ex eo
tempore prope ad medium Neronis principatum in
secessu plurimum vixit, ne ad gestandum quidem um-
quam iter ingressus quam ut secum vehiculo proximo
decies sestertium in auro efferret, donee in oppido
Fundis moranti Hispania Tarraconensis oblata est.
2 Acciditque, ut cum provinciam ingressus sacrificaret,
intra aedem publicam puero e ministris acerram

a Except in special cases, the governors were appointed by
lot from among those who were eligible.

* The modiua was 8.75 litres.

* See note on Jul. lxxix. 3.

d The sodcUes Titii were an ancient priesthood of uncertain
origin. The tradition arose that they were established to
keep up the ancient Sabine worship, and named from Titus
Tatius. • See note on Claud, vi. 2.

f So as to be able to leave the country on short notice.

202

GALBA

Africa for two years with the rank of proconsul, being
specially chosen" to restore order in the province,
which was disturbed both by internal strife and by a
revolt of the barbarians. And he was successful , owing
to his insistence on strict discipline and his observance
of justice even in trifling matters. When provisions
were very scarce during a foray and a soldier was
accused of having sold for a hundred denarii a peck b
of wheat which was left from his rations, Galba
gave orders that when the man began to lack food,
he should receive aid from no one ; and he starved
to death. On another occasion when he was holding
court and the question of the ownership of a beast of
burden was laid before him, as the evidence on both
sides was slight and the witnesses unreliable, so that
it was difficult to get at the truth, he ruled that the
beast should be led with its head muffled up to the
pool where it was usually watered, that it should then
be unmuffled, and should belong to the man to whom
it returned of its own accord after drinking.

VIII. His services in Africa at that time, and
previously in Germany, were recognised by the
triumphal regalia and three priesthoods, for he was
chosen a member of the Fifteen, 6 of the brotherhood
of Titius, d and of the priests of Augustus.* After
that he lived for the most part in retirement until
about the middle of Nero's reign, never going out
even for recreation without taking a million sesterces
in gold with him in a second carriage ; until at last,
while he was staying in the town of Fundi, Hispania 60 a.d.
Tarraconensis was offered him. And it fell out
that as he was offering sacrifice in a public temple
after his arrival in the province, the hair of a young
attendant who was carrying an incense-box suddenly

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tenenti capillus repente toto capite canesceret, nec
defuerunt qui interpretarentur significari rerum
mutationem successurumque iuveni senem, hoc est
ipsum Neroni. Non multo post in Cantabriae lacum
fulmen decidit repertaeque sunt duodecim secures,
haud ambiguum summae imperii signum.

IX. Per octo annos varie et inaequabiliter provinciam
rexit, primo acer et vehemens et in coercendis quidem
delictis vel immodicus. Nam et nummulario non ex
fide versanti pecunias manus amputavit mensaeque
eius adfixit, et tutorem, quod pupillum, cui substitutus
heres erat, veneno necasset, cruce adfecit; implo-
rantique leges et civem Romanum se testificanti, quasi
solacio et honore aliquo poenam levaturus, mutari
multoque praeter ceteras altiorem et dealbatam statui
crucem iussit. Paulatim in desidiam segnitiamque
conversus est, ne quid materiae praeberet Neroni et,
ut dicere solebat, quod nemo rationem otii sui reddere
cogeretur.

2 Carthagine nova conventum agens tumultuari
Gallias comperit legato Aquitaniae auxilia im-
plorante ; supervenerunt et Vindicis litterae hor-
tantis, ut humano generi assertorem ducemque se
accommodaret. Nec diu cunctatus condicionem
partim metu partim spe recepit ; nam et mandata
Neronis de nece sua ad procuratores clam missa
deprenderat et confirmabatur cum secundissimis

a See note on Claud, xxiv. 1.

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turned white all over his head, and there were some
who did not hesitate to interpret this as a sign of a
change of rulers and of the succession of an old man
to a young one ; that is to say, of Galba to Nero.
Not long after this lightning struck a lake of Can-
tabria and twelve axes were found there, an unmis-
takable token of supreme power.

IX. For eight years he governed the province in
a variable and inconsistent manner. At first he was
vigorous and energetic and even over severe in
punishing offences; for he cut off the hands of a
money-lender who carried on his business dishonestly
and nailed them to his counter ; crucified a man for
poisoning his ward, whose property he was to inherit
in case of his death ; and when the man invoked the
law and declared that he was a Roman citizen, Galba,
pretending to lighten his punishment by some con-
solation and honour, ordered that a cross much
higher than the rest and painted white be set up,
and the man transferred to it. But he gradually
changed to sloth and inaction, not to give Nero any
cause for jealousy, and as he used to say himself,
because no one could be forced to render an account
for doing nothing.

As he was holding the assizes at New Carthage,
he learned of the rebellion of the Gallic provinces
through an urgent appeal for help from the governor
of Aquitania ; then came letters from Vindex, calling
upon him to make himself the liberator and leader of
mankind. So without much hesitation he accepted the
proposal, led by fear as well as by hope. For he had
intercepted despatches ordering his own death, which
had been secretly sent by Nero to his agents.* He
was encouraged too, in addition to most favourable

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auspiciis et ominibus virginis honestae vaticinatione,
tanto magis quod eadem ilia carmina sacerdos Iovis
Cluniae ex penetrali somnio monitus eruerat ante
ducentos annos similiter a fatidica puella pronuntiata.
Quorum carminum sententia erat oriturum quando-
que ex Hispania principem dominumque rerum.

X. Igitur cum quasi manumissioni vacaturus con-
scendisset tribunal, propositis ante se damnatorum
occisorumque a Nerone quam plurimis imaginibus et
astante nobili puero, quern exsulantem e proxima
Baliari insula ob id ipsum acciverat, deploravit
temporum statum consalutatusque imperator legatum

2 se senatus ac populi R. professus est. Dein iustitio
indicto, e plebe quidem provinciae legiones et auxilia
conscripsit super exercitum veterem legionis unius
duarumque alarum et cohortium trium ; at e primori-
bus prudentia atque aetate praestantibus vel 1 instar
senatus, ad quos de maiore re quotiens opus esset

3 referretur, instituit. Delegit et equestris ordinis
iuvenes, qui manente anulorum aureorum usu evocati
appellarentur excubiasque circa cubiculum suum vice
militum agerent. Etiam per provincias edicta
dimisit, auctor in 2 singulis universisque conspirandi
simul et ut qua posset quisque opera communem
causam iuvarent.

4 Per idem fere tempus in munitione oppidi, quod

1 vel] velut, T. 2 TlQ and the editions omit in.

° Such predictions, like the responses of oracles, were in
verse. 6 Instead of the emperor, as heretofore.

c Evocati were soldiers who, after serving their time, were
invited to continue their service. It is here an honorary
title. d See note on Jul. xxxiii.

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GALBA

auspices and omens, by the prediction of a young
girl of high birth, and the more so because the
priest of Jupiter at Clunia, directed by a dream, had
found in the inner shrine of his temple the very
same prediction, likewise spoken by an inspired girl
two hundred years before. And the purport of the
verses* was that one day there would come forth
from Spain the ruler and lord of the world.

X. Accordingly, pretending that he was going to
attend to the manumitting of slaves, he mounted the
tribunal, on the front of which he had set up as many
images as he could find of those who had been con-
demned and put to death by Nero ; and having by
his side a boy of noble family, whom he had summoned
for that very purpose from his place of exile hard by
in the Balearic Isles, he deplored the state of the
times ; being thereupon hailed as emperor, he declared
that he was their governor, representing the senate
and people of Rome.* Then proclaiming a holiday,
he enrolled from the people of the province legions
and auxiliaries in addition to his former force of one
legion, two divisions of cavalry, and three cohorts.
But from the oldest and most experienced of the
nobles he chose a kind of senate, to whom he might
refer matters of special importance whenever it was
necessary. He also chose young men of the order
of knights, who were to have the title of volunteers c
and keep guard before his bedchamber in place of
the regular soldiers, without losing their right to
wear the gold ring. d He also sent proclamations
broadcast throughout the province, urging all men
individually and collectively to join the revolution
and aid the common cause in every possible way.

At about this same time, during the fortification

207

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VII

sedem bello delegerat, repertus est anulus opere
antiquo, scalptura gemmae Victoriam cum tropaeo
exprimente ; ac subinde Alexandrina navis Dertosam
appulit armis onusta, sine gubernatore, sine nauta
aut vectore ullo, ut nemini dubium esset iustum
piumque et faventibus diis bellum suscipi : cum
repente ex inopinato prope cuncta turbata sunt.
5 Alarum altera castris appropinquantem paenitentia
mutati sacramenti destituere conata est aegreque
retenta in officio, et servi, quos a liberto Neronis ad
fraudem praeparatos muneri acceperat, per angiportum
in balneas transeuntem paene interemerunt, nisi
cohortantibus in vicem ne occasionem omitterent,
interrogatisque de qua occasione loquerentur, expressa
cruciatu confessio esset.

XI. Accessit ad tanta discrimina mors Vindicis,
qua maxime consternatus destitutoque similis non
multum afuit quin vitae renuntiaret. Sed super-
venientibus ab urbe nuntiis ut occisum Neronem
cunctosque in verba sua iurasse cognovit, deposita
legati suscepit Caesaris appellationem iterque in-
gressus est paludatus ac depend ente a cervicibus
pugione ante pectus ; nec prius usum togae reciperavit
quam oppressis qui novas res moliebantur, praefecto

° See chap. x. 1.

* See note on chap. i.

208

GALBA

of a town which he had chosen as the seat of war, a
ring of ancient workmanship was found, containing
a precious stone engraved with a Victory and a trophy.
Immediately afterwards a ship from Alexandria
loaded with arms arrived at Dertosa without a pilot,
without a single sailor or passenger, removing all
doubt in anyone's mind that the war was just and
holy and undertaken with the approval of the gods.
Then suddenly and unexpectedly the whole plan was
almost brought to naught. One of the two divisions
of cavalry,* repenting of its change of allegiance,
attempted to desert Galba as he was approaching his
camp and was with difficulty prevented. Some slaves
too, whom one of Nero's freedmen had given Galba
with treachery in view, all but slew him as he was
going to the bath through a narrow passage-way. In
fact they would have succeeded, had they not con-
jured one another not to miss the opportunity and
so been questioned as to what the opportunity
was to which they referred; for when they were
put to the torture, a confession was wrung from
them.

XI. To these great perils was added the death of
Vindex, by which he was especially panic-stricken
and came near taking his own life, in the belief that
all was lost. But when some messengers came from
the city, reporting that Nero was dead and that all
the people had sworn allegiance to him, he laid aside
the title of governor and assumed that of Caesar. 6
He then began his march to Rome in a general's
cloak with a dagger hanging from his neck in front
of his breast ; and he did not resume the toga until
he had overthrown those who were plotting against
him, Nymphidius Sabinus, prefect of the praetorian

209

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praetori Nymphidio Sabino Romae, in Germania
Fonteio Capitone, in Africa Clodio Macro legatis.

XII. Praecesserat de eo fama saevitiae simul atque
avaritiae, quod civitates Hispaniarum Galliarumque,
quae cunctantius sibi accesserant, gravioribus tributis,
quasdam etiam muroruin destructione punisset et
praepositos procuratoresque supplicio capitis adfecis-
set cum coniugibus ac liberis ; quodque oblatam a
Tarraconensibus e vetere templo Iovis coronam
auream librarum quindecim conflasset ac tres uncias,

2 quae ponderi deerant, iussisset exigi. Ea fama et
confirmata et aucta est, ut primum urbem introiit.
Nam cum classiarios, quos Nero ex remigibus iustos
milites fecerat, redire ad pristinum statum cogeret,
recusantis atque insuper aquilam et signa pertinacius
flagitantis non modo inmisso equite disiecit, sed
decimavit etiam. Item Germanorum cohortem a
Caesaribus olim ad custodiam corporis institutam
multisque experimentis fidelissimam dissolvit ac sine
commodo ullo remisit in patriam, quasi Cn. Dolabellae,

3 iuxta cuius hortos tendebat, proniorem. Ilia quoque
verene an falso per ludibrium iactabantur, adposita
lautiore cena ingemuisse eum, et ordinario quidem
dispensatori breviarium rationum offerenti paropsi-
dem 1 leguminis pro sedulitate ac diligentia porre-

1 paropsidem] parobsidem, M; parabsidem, O; the other
m88. have parapsidem.

« See note on Claud, xxiv. 1.

* Cf. Aug. xxiv. 2 ; Calig. xlviii. 1.

c See Aug. xlix. 1 ; Calig. lviii. 3.

d Doubtless many of them were false or exaggerated.
Galba's frugality was naturally regarded as stinginess by a
people accustomed to a prince like Nero ; see Nero, xxxi. 1 .

2IO

GALBA

guard at Rome, in Germany and Africa the governors
Fonteius Capito and Qodius Macer.

XII. His double reputation for cruelty and avarice
had gone before him ; men said that he had punished
the cities of the Spanish and Gallic provinces which
had hesitated about taking sides with him by heavier
taxes and some even by the razing of their walls,
putting to death the governors and imperial deputies' 1
along with their wives and children. Further, that
he had melted down a golden crown of fifteen pounds
weight, which the people of Tarraco had taken from
their ancient temple of Jupiter and presented to
him, with orders that the three ounces which were
found lacking be exacted from them. This reputa-
tion was confirmed and even augmented immediately
on his arrival in the city. For having compelled some
marines whom Nero had made regular soldiers to
return to their former position as rowers, upon their
refusing and obstinately demanding an eagle and
standards, he not only dispersed them by a cavalry
charge, but even decimated b them. He also dis-
banded a cohort of Germans, whom the previous
Caesars had made their body-guard c and had found
absolutely faithful in many emergencies, and sent
them back to their native country without any rewards,
alleging that they were more favourably inclined
towards Gnaeus Dolabella, near whose gardens they
had their camp. The following tales too were told
in mockery of him, whether truly or falsely : d that
when an unusually elegant dinner was set before
him, he groaned aloud; that when his duly ap-
pointed steward presented his expense account, he
handed him a dish of beans in return for his
industry and carefulness ; and that when the flute

211

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xisse, Cano autem choraulae mire placenti denarios
quinque donasse prolatos manu sua e peculiaribus
loculis suis.

XIII. Quare adventus eius non perinde gratus
fuit, idque proximo spectaculo apparuit, siquidem
Atellanis notissimum canticum exorsis : 1

cuncti simul spectatores consentiente voce reliquam
partem rettulerunt ac saepius versu repetito egerunt.

XIV. Maiore acjeo et favore et auctoritate
adeptus est quam gessit imperium, quanquam multa
documenta egregii principis daret ; sed nequaquam
tam grata erant, quam invisa quae secus fierent.

Regebatur trium arbitrio, quos una et intra Pala-
tium habitantis nec umquam non adhaerentis paeda-
gogos vulgo vocabant. Ii erant T. Vinius legatus
eius in Hispania, cupiditatis immensae ; Cornelius
Laco ex assessore praefectus praetorii, arrogantia
socordiaque intolerabilis ; libertus Icelus, paulo ante
anulis aureis et Marciani cognomine ornatus ac iam
summae equestris gradus candidatus. His diverso
vitiorum genere grassantibus adeo se abutendum

1 exorsis, ; exorsus, CI.

2 venit Onesimus, 5 ; ventione simus, CI ; venit Dorsennus,
Lachmann.

° Plutarch, Galba, xvi., gives the story quite a different
aspect, saying that the gift was of gold pieces, and that
Galba said that it came from his own pocket, and not from
the public funds.

6 The text is uncertain, but obviously the song ridiculed a
stingy old countryman.

c Of. the inimitable sentence of Tac. (Hist. 1. 49) maior
privcUu8 visus, dum privatus, et omnium consensu capax
imperii, nisi imperasset.

" Venit Onesimus 2 a villa

212

GALBA

player Canus greatly pleased him, he presented him
with five denarii, which he took from his own purse
with his own hand.*

XIII. Accordingly his coming was not so welcome
as it might have been, and this was apparent at the
first performance in the theatre ; for when the actors
of an Atel lan farce began the familiar lines

" Here comes Onesimus from his farm " b

all the spectators at once finished the song in chorus
and repeated it several times with appropriate
gestures, beginning with that verse.

XIV. Thus his popularity and prestige were greater
when he won, than while he ruled the empire,
though he gave many proofs of being an excellent
prince ; but he was by no means so much loved for
those qualities as he was hated for his acts of the
opposite character.

He was wholly under the control of three men,
who were commonly known as his tutors because
they lived with him in the palace and never left his
side. They were Titus Vinius, one of his generals in
Spain, a man of unbounded covetousness ; Cornelius
Laco, advanced from the position of judge's assistant
to that of prefect of the Guard and intolerably
haughty and indolent ; and his own freedman Icelus,
who had only just before received the honour of the
gold ring d and the surname of Marcianus, yet
already aspired to the highest office open to the
equestrian order. 6 To these brigands, each with his
different vice, he so entrusted and handed himself
over as their tool, that his conduct was far from

* See note on Jul. xxxiii.

* Prefect of the praetorian guard.

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permisit et tradidit, ut vix sibi ipse constaret, modo
acerbior parciorque, modo remissior ac neglegentior
quam conveniret principi electo atque illud aetatis.
3 Quosdam claros ex utroque ordine viros suspicione
minima inauditos condemnavit. Civitates R. raro
dedit, iura trium liberorum vix uni atque alteri ac ne
iis quidem nisi ad certum praefinitumque tempus.
Iudicibus sextam decuriam adici precantibus non
modo negavit, sed et concessum a Claudio beneficium,
ne hieme initioque anni ad iudicandom evocarentur,
eripuit.

XV. Existimabatur etiam senatoria et equestria
officia bienni spatio determinaturus nec daturas nisi
invitis ac recusantibus. Liberalitates Neronis non
plus decimis concessis per quinquaginta equites R. ea
condicione revocandas curavit exigendasque, ut et si
quid scaenici ac xystici donatum olim vendidissent,
auferretur emptoribus, quando illi pretio absumpto
2 solvere nequirent. At contra nihil non per comites
atque libertos pretio addici aut donari gratia passus
est, vectigalia immunitates, poenas innocentium
impunitates noxioram. Quin etiam populo R. depo-
scente supplicium Haloti etTigillini solos ex omnibus
Neronis emissariis vel maleficentissimos incolumes
praestitit atque insuper Halotum procuratione am-

a See note on Claud, xv. 1.

* See Claud, xxiii 1, and the note.

c These offices were numerous and varied. Since his
apparent purpose was to check ambition and avarice, the
senatorial offices referred to were probably military commands
and governorships, and the equestrian, procuratorships ; see
note on Claud, xxxiv. 1.

214

GALBA

consistent; for now he was more exacting and
niggardly, and now more extravagant and reckless
than became a prince chosen by the people and of
his time of life.

He condemned to death divers distinguished men
of both orders on trivial suspicions without a trial.
He rarely granted Roman citizenship, and the
privileges of threefold paternity* to hardly one
or two, and even to those only for a fixed and limited
time. When the jurors petitioned that a sixth
division be added to their number, he not only
refused, but even deprived them of the privilege
granted by Claudius, 6 of not being summoned for
court duty in winter and at the beginning of the year.

XV. It was thought too that he intended to limit
the offices open to senators and knights to a period
of two years, and to give them only to such as did
not wish them and declined them. c He had all the
grants of Nero revoked, allowing only a tenth part
to be retained ; and he exacted repayment with the
help of fifty Roman knights, stipulating that even if
the actors and athletes had sold anything that had for-
merly been given them, it should be taken away from
the purchasers, in case the recipient had spent the
money and could not repay it. On the other hand,
there was nothing that he did not allow his friends
and freedmen to sell at a price or bestow as a favour,
taxes and freedom from taxation, the punishment
of the guiltless and impunity for the guilty. Nay
more, when the Roman people called for the punish-
ment of Halotus and Tigellinus, the most utterly
abandoned of all Nero's creatures, not content with
saving their lives, he honoured Halotus with a very
important stewardship and in the case of Tigellinus

**5

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plissima ornavit, pro Tigillino etiam saevitiae
populum edicto increpuit.

XVI. Per haec prope universis ordinibus offensis
vel praecipua flagrabat invidia apud milites. Nam
cum in verba eius absentis iurantibus don«tivum
grandius solito praepositi pronuntiassent, neque
ratam rem habuit et subinde iactavit legere se mili-
tem, non emere consuesse ; atque eo quidem nomine
omnis, qui ubique erant, exacerbavit. Ceterum prae-
torianos etiam metu et indignitate commovit,
removens subinde plerosque ut suspectos et Nymphidi

2 socios. Sed maxime fremebat superioris Germaniae
exercitus fraudari se praemiis navatae adversus
G alios et Vindicem operae. Ergo primi obsequium
rumpere ausi Kal. Ian. adigi sacramento nisi in nomen
senatus recusarunt statimque legationem ad praeto-
rianos cum mandatis destinaverunt : displicere im-
peratorem in Hispania factum ; eligerent ipsi quern
cuncti exercitus comprobarent.

XVII. Quod ut nuntiatum est, despectui esse non
tam senectam suam quam orbitatem ratus, Pisonem
Frugi Licinianum nobilem egregiumque iuvenem ac
sibi olim probatissimum testamentoque semper in
bona et nomen adscitum repente e media salutantium
turba adprehendit filiumque appellans perduxit in
castra ac pro contione adoptavit, ne tunc quidem
donativi ulla mentione facta. Quo faciliorem occa-

a According to Plutarch (Galba, 2) it was Nymphidius
Sabinus, prefect of the praetorian guard, who made this
promise. Praepositi would include those who followed his

example.
2l6

* See chap. xi.

GALBA

even issued an edict rebuking the people for their
cruelty.

XVI. Having thus incurred the hatred of almost all
men of every class, he was especially detested by the
soldiers; for although their officers had promised
them a larger gift than common when they swore
allegiance to Galba in his absence, so far from keeping
the promise, he declared more than once that it was
his habit to levy troops, not buy them ; and on this
account he embittered the soldiers all over the
empire. The praetorians he filled besides with both
fear and indignation by discharging many of them
from time to time as under suspicion of being
partisans of Nymphidius. 6 But loudest of all was the
grumbling of the army in Upper Germany, because
it was defrauded of the reward for its services against
the Gauls and Vindex. Hence they were the first
to venture on mutiny, refusing on the Kalends of
January to swear allegiance to anyone save the
senate, and at once resolving to send a deputation to
the praetorians with the following message : that
the emperor created in Spain did not suit them and
the Guard must choose one who would be acceptable
to all the armies.

XVII. When this was reported to Galba, thinking
that it was not so much his age as his lack of
children that was criticised, he picked out Piso
Frugi Licinianus from the midst of the throng at
one of his morning receptions, a young man of
noble birth and high character, who had long been
one of his special favourites and always named in
his will as heir to his property and his name.
Calling him son, he led him to the praetorian camp
and adopted him before the assembled soldiers.

217

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sionem M. Salvio Othoni praebuit perficiendi conata
intra sextum adoptionis diem.

XVIII. Magna et assidua monstra iam inde a
principio exitum ei, qualis evenit, portenderant. Cum
per omne iter dextra sinistraque oppidatim victimae
caederentur, taurus securis ictu consternatus rupto
vinculo essedum eius invasit elatisque pedibus totum
cruore perfudit ; ac descendentem speculator impulsu
turbae lancea prope vulneravit. Urbem quoque et
deinde Palatium ingressum excepit terrae tremor et

2 assimilis quidam mugitui son us. Secuta sunt aliquanto
manifestiora. Monile margaritis gemmisque consertum
ad ornandam Fortunam suam Tusculanam ex omni
gaza secreverat ; id repente quasi augustiore dignius
loco Capitolinae Veneri dedicavit, ac proxima nocte
somniavit speciem Fortunae querentis fraudatam se
dono destinato, minantisque erepturam et ipsam quae
dedisset. Cumque exterritus luce prima ad expiandum
somnium, praemissis qui rem divinam appararent,
Tusculum excucurrisset, nihil invenit praeter tepi-
dam in ara favillam atratumque iuxta senem in catino

3 vitreo tus 1 tenentem et in calice fictili merum. Obser-
vatum etiam est Kal. Ian. sacrificanti coronam de
capite excidisse, auspicanti pullos avolasse ; adoptionis

1 tus] thus, ms8.

a As he was on his way to Rome. * See chap. iv. 3.

e The fire should have been blazing brightly and a youtli
clad in white should have carried the incense in a proper box
(acerra, see chap, viii.), and the wine in a more costly and
appropriate vessel.

2l8

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GALBA

But even then he made no mention of largess, thus
making it easier for Marcus Salvius Otho to accom-
plish his purpose within six days after the adoption.

XVIII. Many prodigies in rapid succession from
the very beginning of his reign had foretold Galba's
end exactly as it happened. When victims were
being slain to right and left all along his route in
every town, an ox, maddened by the stroke of an
axe, broke its bonds and charged the emperor's
chariot, and as it raised its feet, deluged him with
blood. And as Galba dismounted, one of his guards,
pushed forward by the crowd, almost wounded him
with his lance. Again, as he entered the city, and
later the Palace, he was met by a shock of earth-
quake and a sound like the lowing of kine. There
followed even clearer signs. He had set apart from
all the treasure a necklace fashioned of pearls and
precious stones, for the adornment of his image of
Fortune at Tusculum.* This on a sudden impulse
he consecrated to the Capitoline Venus, thinking it
worthy of a more august position. The next night
Fortune appeared to him in his dreams, complaining
of being robbed of the gift intended for her and
threatening in her turn to take away what she had
bestowed. When Galba hastened in terror to Tus-
culum at daybreak, to offer expiatory sacrifices
because of the dream, and sent on men to make
preparations for the ceremony, he found on the altar
nothing but warm ashes and beside it an old man
dressed in black, holding the incense in a glass dish
and the wine in an earthen cup. c It was also
remarked that as he was sacrificing on the Kalends
of January, the garland fell from his head, and that
as he took the auspices, the sacred chickens flew

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die neque milites adlocuturo castrensem sellam de
more positam pro tribunali oblitis ministris et in
senatu curulem perverse collocatam.

XIX. Prius vero quam occideretur sacrificantem
mane haruspex identidem monuit, eaveret periculum,
non longe percussores abesse.

Haud multo post cognoscit teneri castra ab
Othone, ac plerisque ut eodem quam primum
pergeret suadentibus — posse enim auctoritate et
praesentia praevalere — nihil amplius quam continere
se statuit et legionariorum firmare praesidiis, qui
multifariam diverseque tendebant. Loricam tamen
induit linteam, quanquam haud dissimulans parum
2 adversus tot mucrones profuturam. Sed extractus
rumoribus falsis, quos conspirati, ut eum in publicum
elicerent, de industria dissiparant, paucis temere
affirmant] bus transactum negotium, oppressos, qui
tumultuarentur, advenire frequentis ceteros gratula-
bundos et in omne obsequium paratos, iis ut occurreret
prodiittanta fiducia, ut militi cuidam occisum a se
Othonem glorianti : " Quo auctore ? " respondent,
atque in Forum usque processit. Ibi equites, quibus
mandata caedes erat, cum per publicum dimota
paganorum turba equos adegissent, viso procul eo

« Of Piso.

* Of the praetorian guard.

220

GALBA

away. As he was on the point of addressing the
soldiers on the day of the adoption, his camp chair,
through the forgetfulness of his attendants, was
not placed on the tribunal, as is customary, and in
the senate his curule chair was set wrong side
foremost.

XIX. As he was offering sacrifice on the morning
before he was killed, a soothsayer warned him again
and again to look out for danger, since assassins
were not far off.

Not long after this he learned that Otho held
possession of the Camp, 6 and when several advised
him to proceed thither as soon as possible — for they
said that he could win the day by his presence and
prestige — he decided to do no more than hold his
present position and strengthen it by getting to-
gether a guard of the legionaries, who were encamped
in many different quarters of the city. He did how-
ever put on a linen cuirass, though he openly
declared that it would afford little protection against
so many swords. But he was lured out by false re-
ports, circulated by the conspirators to induce him to
appear in public ; for when a few rashly assured him
that the trouble was over, that the rebels had been
overthrown, and that the rest were coming in a body
to offer their congratulations, ready to submit to all
his orders, he went out to meet them with so much
confidence, that when one of the soldiers boasted
that he had slain Otho, he asked him, " On whose
authority? " and then he went on as far as the Forum.
There the horsemen who had been bidden to slay
him, spurring their horses through the streets and
dispersing the crowd of civilians, caught sight of him
from a distance and halted for a moment. Then

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parumper restiterunt ; dein rursum incitati desertum
a suis contrucidarunt.

XX. Sunt qui tradant, ad primum tumultum pro-
clamasse eum : " Quid agitis commilitones ? Ego
vester sum et vos mei," donativum etiam pollicitum.
Plures autem prodiderunt optulisse ultro iugulum et
ut hoc agerent ac ferirent, quando ita videretur,
hortatum. Illud mirum admodum fuerit, neque
praesentium quemquam opem imperatori ferre cona-
tum et ^mnes qui arcesserentur 1 sprevisse nuntium
excepta • Germanicianorum 2 vexillatione. Ii ob
recens meritum, quod se aegros et invalidos magno
opere 3 fovisset, in auxilium advolaverunt, sed serius
itinere devio per ignorantiam locorum retardati .
2 Iugulatus est ad lacum Curti ac relictus ita uti erat,
donee gregarius miles a frumentatione rediens abiecto
onere caput ei amputavit ; et quoniam capillo
arripere non poterat, in gremium abdidit, mox
inserto per os pollice ad Othonem detulit. Ille
lixis calonibusque donavit, qui hasta suffixum non
sine ludibrio circum castra portarunt adclamantes
identidem : " Galba Cupido, fruaris aetate tua,"
maxime irritati ad talem iocorum petulantiam, quod
ante paucos dies exierat in vulgus, laudanti cuidam
formam suam ut adhuc floridam et vegetam respon-
disse eum :

"En flOL ft€V05 €/X7T€8oV COTIV.

1 arcesserentur] arcessirentur, MGT.

2 Germanicianorum, Tnrnebus ; Germaniciorum, ft.
* magno opere] magnopere, mss.

° Which he had hitherto refused ; see chap. xvi. 1.

6 See note on CcUig. lviii. 2.

c In the Forum ; see Aug, lvii. 1, and Index.

222

Digitized by

GALBA

they rushed upon him again and butchered him,
abandoned by his followers.

XX. Some say that at the beginning of the dis-
turbance he cried out, "What mean you, fellow
soldiers ? I am yours and you are mine," and that he
even promised them largess.* But the more general
account is, that he offered them his neck without resist-
ance, urging them to do their duty 6 and strike, since
it was their will. It might seem very surprising
that none of those present tried to lend aid to their
emperor, and that all who were sent for treated the
summons with contempt except a company of German
troops. These, because of his recent kindness in
showing them great indulgence when they were
weakened by illness, flew to his help, but through
their unfamiliarity with the city took a roundabout
way and arrived too late.

He was killed beside the Lake of Curtius 6 and was
left lying just as he was, until a common soldier,
returning from a distribution of grain, threw down
his load and cut off the head. Then, since there
was no hair by which to grasp it, he put it under his
robe, but later thrust his thumb into the mouth and
so carried it to Otho. He handed it over to his
servants and camp-followers, who set it on a lance
and paraded it about the camp with jeers, crying
out from time to time, " Galba, thou Cupid, exult in
thy vigour ! " The special reason for this saucy jest
was, that the report had gone abroad a few days
before, that when someone had congratulated him on
still looking young and vigorous, he replied :

"As yet my strength is unimpaired." d

* Iliad, 6. 254 ; Odyaa. 21. 426.

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Ab iis Patrobii 1 Neroniani libertus centum aureis
redemptum eo loco, ubi iussu Galbae animadversum
in patronum suum fuerat, abiecit. Sero tandem
dispensator Argivus et ftoc et ceterum truncuni
in privatis eius hortis Aurelia via sepulturae dedit.

XXI. Statura fuit iusta, capite praecalvo, oculis
caeruleis, adunco naso, manibus pedibusque articulari
morbo distortissimis, ut neque calceum perpeti nec 2
libellos evolvere aut tenere omnino valeret. Excre-
verat etiam in dexteriore latere eius caro praepende-
batque adeo ut aegre fascia substringeretur.

XXII. Cibi plurimi traditur, quem tempore hiber-
no etiam ante lucem capere consuerat, inter cenam
vero usque eo abundantis, 3 ut congestas super manus
reliquias circumferri iuberet spargique ad pedes
stantibus. Libidinis in mares pronior 4 et eos non
nisi praeduros exoletosque ; ferebant in Hispania
Icelum e veteribus concubinis de Neronis exitu
nuntiantem non modo artissimis osculis palam excep-
tum ab eo, sed ut sine mora velleretur oratum atque
seductum.

XXIII. Periit tertio et septuagesimo aetatis anno,
imperii mense septimo. Senatus, ut primum licitum
est, statuam ei decreverat rostratae columnae super-

1 Patrobii, $- {Sabellicus) ; Patrobii, ft.

2 nec] ne, M ; neque, Gl ; the other mss. have nec.

3 abundantis, Graevius ; abundanti, ft ; abundantem, Milan
ed. of 1475 ; abundanter, Gruter.

4 pronior, mss. ; pronioris, Stephanus.

° The meaning of this passage is uncertain and the inter-
pretations various ; see the long note in the ed. of Baum-

224

GALBA

From these it was bought by a freedman of Patrobius
Neronianus for a hundred pieces of gold and thrown
aside in the place where his patron had been
executed by Galba's order. At last, however, his
steward Argivus consigned it to the tomb with
the rest of the body in Galba's private gardens on
the Aurelian Road.

XXL He was of average height, very bald, with V
blue eyes and a hooked nose. His hands and feet
were so distorted by gout that he could not endure
a shoe for long, unroll a book, or even hold one.
The flesh on his right side too had grown out
and hung down to such an extent, that it could
with difficulty be held in place by a bandage.

XXII. It is said that he was a heavy eater and
in winter time was in the habit of taking food even
before daylight, while at dinner he helped himself
so lavishly that he would have the leavings which
remained in a heap before him passed along and
distributed among the attendants who waited on
him.° He was more inclined to unnatural desire,
and in gratifying it preferred full-grown, strong men.
They say that when Icelus, one of his old-time
favourites, brought him news in Spain of Nero's
death, he not only received him openly with
the fondest kisses, but begged him to prepare
himself without delay and took him one side.

XXIII. He met his end in the seventy-third «0a.d.
year of his age and the seventh month of his reign.

The senate, as soon as it was allowed to do so,
voted him a statue standing upon a column adorned

garten-Crusius. The meaning of super manua is particularly
dark ; the most plausible suggestion is that it is equivalent
to ante se.

225

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VII

stantem in parte Fori, qua trucidatus est ; sed
decretum Vespasianus abolevit, percussores sibi ex
Hispania in Iudaeam submisisse opinatus.

I. Maiores Othonis orti sunt oppido Ferentio,
familia vetere et honorata atque ex principibus
Etruriae. Avus M. Salvius 1 Otho, patre equite R.,
matre humili incertum an ingenua, per gratiam Liviae
Augustae, in cuius domo creverat, senator est factus
nec praeturae gradum excessit.
2 Pater L. Otho, materno gen ere praeclaro multarum-
que et magnarum propinquitatium, tam carus tamque
non absimilis facie Tiberio principi fuit, ut plerique
procreatum ex eo crederent. Urbanos honores, pro-
consulatum Africae et extraordinaria imperia seve-
rissime administravit. Ausus etiam est in Illyrico
milites quosdam, quod motu Camilli ex paenitentia
praepositos suos quasi defectionis ad versus Claudium
auctores occiderant, capite punire et quidem ante
principia se coram, quamvis ob id ipsum promotos in

° Like Maecenas, Otho was Tyrrhena regum progenies;

Otho

1 Salvius, Stephanus ; Silvius, fl.

Hor. Odes, 3. 29. 1.
226

See Clattd. xiii. and xxxv. 2.

OTHO

with the beaks of ships, in the part of the Forum
where he was slain; but Vespasian annulled this
decree, believing that Galba had sent assassins from
Spain to Judaea, to take his life.

Otho

I. The ancestors of Otho came from an old and
illustrious family in the town of Ferentium and
were descended from the princes of Etruria. His
grandfather Marcus Salvius Otho, whose father was
a Roman knight but whose mother was of lowly
origin and perhaps not even free-born, became a
senator through the influence of Livia Augusta,
in whose house he was reared ; but did not advance
beyond the grade of praetor.

His father Lucius Otho was of a distinguished
family on his mother's side, with many powerful
connections, and was so beloved by Tiberius and so
like him in appearance, that he was believed by
many to be the emperor's son. In the regular
offices at Rome, the proconsulate of Africa, and
several special military commands he conducted
himself with extreme severity. In Illyricum he even
had the courage to punish some soldiers with death,
because in the rebellion of Camillus, 6 repenting of
their defection, they had killed their officers on
the ground that they were the ringleaders in the
revolt against Claudius ; and they were executed in
his presence before his headquarters, although he
knew that they had been promoted to higher

227

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3 ampliorem gradum a Claudio sciret. Quo facto
sicut gloriam auxit, ita gratiam minuit ; quam tamen
mature reciperavit detecta equitis R. fraude, quem
prodentibus servis necem Claudio parare compererat.
Namque et senatus honore rarissimo, statua in Palatio
posita, prosecutus est eum et Claudius adlectum inter
patricios conlaudans amplissimis verbis hoc quoque
adiecit: "Vir, quo meliores liberos habere ne opto
quidem." Ex Albia Terentia splendida femina duos
filios tulit, L. Titianum et minorem M. cognominem
sibi ; tulit et filiam, quam vixdum nubilem Druso
Germanici filio despondit.

II. Otho imperator II II. Kal. Mai. natus est Camillo
Arruntio Domitio Ahenobarbo cons. A prima adules-
centia prodigus ac procax, adeo ut saepe flagris obiur-
garetur a patre, ferebatur et vagari noctibus solitus
atque invalidum quemque obviorum vel potulentum
corripere ac distento sago impositum in sublime

2 iactare. Post patris deinde mortem libertinam auli-
cam gratiosam, quo efficacius coleret, etiam diligere
simulavit quamvis anum ac paene decrepitam; per
hanc insinuatus Neroni facile summum inter amicos
locum tenuit congruentia morum, ut vero quidam
tradunt, et consuetudine mutui stupri. Ac tantum

° Suetonius does not mention this among the conspiracies
against Claudius ; see Claud, xiii.

* Instead of the modern blanket a sagum, or military
cloak, was used, whence the operation was called sagatio.

228

OTHO

positions by Claudius because of that very act. By
this deed, while he increased his reputation, he lost
favour at court; but he speedily regained it by
detecting the treachery of a Roman knight, whose
slaves betrayed their master's design of killing
the emperor. a For in consequence of this, the
senate conferred a very unusual honour on him by
setting up his statue in the Palace; and Claudius
also enrolled him among the patricians, and after
praising him in the highest terms, added these
words : " a man of greater loyalty than I can even
pray for in my own children." By Albia Terentia, a
woman of an illustrious line, he had two sons, Lucius
Titianus and a younger called Marcus, who had the
same surname as himself ; also a daughter, whom
he betrothed to Drusus, son of Germanicus, almost
before she was of marriageable age.

II. The emperor Otho was born on the fourth day
before the Kalends of May in the consulate of
Camillus Arruntius and Domitius Ahenobarbus. Apr. 28,
From earliest youth he was so extravagant and wild 32 A,D '
that his father often flogged him ; and they say that
he used to rove about at night and lay hands on any
one whom he met who was feeble or drunk and toss
him in a blanket. 6

After his father's death he pretended love for an
influential freed woman of the court, although she
was an old woman and almost decrepit, that he
might more effectually win her favour. Having
through her wormed his way into Nero's good graces,
he easily held the first place among the emperor's
friends because of the similarity of their characters ;
but according to some, also through immoral relations.
At any rate his influence was such, that when he had

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potentia valuit, ut damnatum repetundis consularem
virum, ingens praemium pactus, prius quam plane
restitutionem ei impetrasset, non dubitaret in senatum
ad agendas gratias introducere.

III. Omnium autem consiliorum secretorumque
particeps die, quern necandae matri Nero destinarat,
ad avertendas suspiciones cenam utrique exquisitissi-
mae comitatis dedit ; item Poppaeam Sabinam tunc
adhuc amicam eius, abductam marito demandatamque
interim sibi, nuptiarum specie recepit nec corrupisse
contentus adeo dilexit, ut ne rivalem quidem
2 Neronem aequo tulerit animo. Creditur certe non
modo missos ad arcessendam non recepisse, sed
ipsum etiam exclusisse quondam pro foribus astantem
miscentemque frustra minas et preces ac depositum
reposcentem. Quare diducto matrimonio sepositus
est per causam legationis in Lusitaniam. Et 1 satis
visum, ne poena acrior mimum omnem divulgaret,
qui tamen sic quoque hoc disticho enotuit :

" Cur Otho mentito sit, quaeritis, exsul honore ?
Uxoris moechus coeperat esse suae."

Provinciam administravit quaestorius per decern
annos, moderatione atque abstinentia singulari.

1 et, A ; id, Casaubon.

* The penalty for extortion was expulsion from the senate ;
see Jul. xliii. 1. * See note on Nero, xxxiv. 2.

c According to Tac. Ann. 13. 45, the marriage was a real
one, as is also implied below ; see note d,

d See note c above,

230

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OTHO

bargained for a huge sum of money to procure the
pardon of an ex-consul who had been condemned
for extortion, he had no hesitation in bringing him
into the senate to give thanks, before he had fully
secured his restoration.*

III. He was privy to all the emperor's plans and
secrets, and on the day which Nero had chosen for
the murder of his mother he gave both of them a
most elaborate banquet, 6 in order to avert suspicion.
Also when Poppaea Sabina, who up to that time had
been Nero's mistress, was separated from her hus-
band and turned over for the time being to Otho, he
pretended marriage with her ; c but not content with
seducing her he became so devoted that he could
not endure the thought of having Nero even as a
rival. At all events it is believed that he not only
would not admit those whom Nero sent to fetch
her, but that on one occasion he even shut out
the emperor himself, who stood before his door,
vainly mingling threats and entreaties and demand-
ing the return of his trust. Therefore Nero
annulled the marriage d and under colour of an
appointment as governor banished Otho to Lusitania >
contenting himself with this through fear that by
inflicting a severer punishment he would make the
whole farce public ; but even as it was, it was
published abroad in this couplet :
"Why, do you ask, in feigned honour does Otho
in banishment languish ?

With his own wedded wife he had begun an
intrigue."

With the rank of quaestor Otho governed the
province for ten years with remarkable moderation
and integrity.

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IV. Ut tandem occasio ultionis data est, conatibus
Galbae primus accessit ; eodemque momento et ipse
spem imperii cepit magnam quidem et ex condicione
temporuin, sed aliquanto maiorem ex affirmation e
Seleuci mathematici. Qui cum eum olim superstitem
Neroni fore spopondisset, tunc ultro inopinatus
advenerat imperaturum quoque brevi repromittens.

2 Nullo igitur officii aut ambitionis in quemquam
genere omisso, quotiens cena principem acciperet,
aureos excubanti cohorti viritim dividebat, nec minus
alium alia via militum demerebatur; cuidam etiam
de parte finium cum vicino litiganti adhibitus arbiter
totum agrum redemit emancipavitque, ut iam vix
ullus esset, qui non et sentiret et praedicaret solum
successione imperii dignum.

V. Speraverat autem fore ut adoptaretur a Galba,
idque in dies exspectabat. Sed postquam Pisone
praelato spe decidit, ad vim conversus est instigante
super animi dolorem etiam magnitudine aeris alieni.
Neque enim dissimulabat, nisi principem se stare
non posse, nihilque referre ab hoste in acie an in

2 Foro sub creditoribus caderet. Ante paucos dies
servo Caesaris pro impetrata dispensatione decies
sestertium expresserat; hoc subsidium tanti coepti

a Tacitus and Plutarch give Ptolemaeus as the name of
the astrologer.

232

OTHO

IV. When at last an opportunity for revenge was
given him, Otho was the first to espouse Galba's
cause, at the same time conceiving on his own
account high hopes of imperial power, because of the
state of the times, but still more because of a
declaration of the astrologer Seleucus. a For he had
not only promised Otho some time before that he
would survive Nero, but had at this time unexpectedly
appeared unsought and made the further promise,
that he would soon become emperor as well.

Accordingly Otho let slip no opportunity for
flattery or attention to anyone. Whenever he
entertained the prince at dinner, he gave a gold
piece to each man of the cohort on guard, and put all
the soldiers under obligation in one form or another.
Chosen arbiter by a man who was at law with his
neighbour about a part of his estate, he bought the
whole property and presented it to him. As a
result there was hardly anyone who did not both
think and openly declare that he alone was worthy
to succeed to the empire.

V. Now he had hoped to be adopted by Galba,
and looked forward to it from day to day. But when
Piso was preferred and he at last lost that hope, he
resorted to force, spurred on not merely by feelings
of resentment, but also by the greatness of his debts.
For he flatly declared that he could not keep on his
feet unless he became emperor, and that it made no
difference whether he fell at the hands of the enemy
in battle or at those of his creditors in the
Forum.

He had extorted a million sesterces from one of
the emperor's slaves a few days before for getting
him a stewardship. This was the entire capital for

*33

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fuit. Ac primo quinque speculatoribus commissa
res est, deinde decern aliis, quos singuli binos
produxerant ; omnibus dena sestertia repraesentata
et quinquagena promissa. Per hos sollicitati reliqui,
nec adeo multi, haud dubia fiducia in ipso negotio
pluris adfuturos.

VI. Tulerat animus post adoptionem statim castra
occupare cenantemque in Palatio Galbam adgredi,
sed obstitit respectus cohortis, quae tunc excubabat,
ne oneraretur invidia, quod eiusdem statione et
Gaius fuerat occisus et desertus Nero. Medium
quoque tempus religio et Seleucus exemit.

2 Ergo destinata die praemonitis consciis, ut se in
Foro sub aede Saturni ad miliarium aureum
opperirentur, mane Galbam salutavit, utque con-
sueverat osculo exceptus, etiam sacrificanti interfuit
audivitque praedicta haruspicis. Deinde liberto
adesse architectos nuntiante, quod signum con-
venerat, quasi venalem domum inspecturus abscessit
proripuitque se postica parte Palati ad constitutum.
Alii febrem simulasse aiunt eamque excusationem

3 proximis mandasse, si quaereretur. Tunc abditus
propere muliebri sella in castra contendit ac
deficientibus lecticariis 1 cum descendisset cursumque

1 lecticariis, X ; lecticaris, Roth ; lecticaribus, MGt.

a Between the adoption and the death of Galba, a space of
five days.

* A pillar covered with gilded bronze, erected by Augustus,
in 20 B.C., on which were engraved the names of the principal
cities of the empire and their distance from Rome. The
Roman roads were supposed to converge at that point, but
the distances on them were reckoned from the gates.

234

OTHO

his great undertaking. At first the enterprise was
entrusted to five of his body-guard, then to ten
others, two being chosen by each of the first five ;
to all of them ten thousand sesterces were paid at
once and they were promised fifty thousand more.
Through these others were won over, but not so very
many, since he had full confidence that more would
join him when the business was afoot.

VI. He had been inclined to seize the Camp im-
mediately after the adoption, and set upon Galba as
he was dining in the Palace, but had been prevented
by consideration for the cohort which was on guard
at the time, and a reluctance to increase its ill
repute ; for it was while that same cohort was at its
post that both Galba had been slain and Nero had
been forsaken. The intervening time was lost
owing to bad omens and the warnings of Seleucus.

Accordingly, when the day was set, after admon-
ishing his confederates to await him in the Forum at
the golden mile-post b hard by the temple of Saturn,
he called upon Galba in the morning and was
welcomed as usual with a kiss. He also attended
the emperor as he was offering sacrifice, and heard
the predictions of the soothsayer. Then a f reed-
man announced that the architects had come,
which was the signal agreed on, and going off
as if to inspect a house which was for sale,, he
rushed from the Palace by a back door and hast-
ened to the appointed place. Others say that he
feigned an attack of fever and asked those who stood
near him to give that excuse, in case he should be
missed. Then hurriedly entering a closed sedan, such
as women use, he hurried to the camp, but got out
when the bearers' strength flagged, and started to run.

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cepisset, laxato calceo restitit, donee omissa mora
succollatus et a praesente comitatu imperator con-
salutatus inter faustas adclamationes strictosque
gladios ad principia devenit, obvio quoque non aliter
ac si conscius et particeps foret adhaerente. Ibi
missis qui Galbam et Pisonem trucidarent, ad
conciliandos pollicitationibus militum animos nihil
magis pro contione testatus est, quam id demum se
habituruin, quod sibi illi reliquissent.

VII. Dein vergente iam die ingressus senatum
positaque brevi ratione 1 quasi raptus de publico et
suscipere imperium vi coactus gesturusque communi
omnium arbitrio, Palatium petit. Ac super ceteras
gratulantium adulantiumque blanditias ab infima
plebe appellatus Nero nullum indicium recusantis
dedit, immo, ut quidam tradiderunt, etiam diplo-
matibus primisque epistulis suis ad quosdam pro-
vinciarum praesides Neronis cognomen adiecit.
Certe et imagines statuasque eius reponi passus est
et procuratores atque libertos ad eadem officia
revocavit, nec quicquam prius pro potestate sub-
scripsit quam quingenties sestertium ad peragendam
Auream Domum.
2 Dicitur ea nocte per quietem pavefactus gemitus
maximos edidisse repertusque a concursantibus humi
ante lectum iacens per omnia piaculorum genera
Manes Galbae, a quo deturbari expellique se viderat,
propitiare temptasse ; postridie quoque in augurando

ratione, Erasmus ; oratione, mss.

236

OTHO

His shoe came untied and he stopped, whereupon
without delay he was at once taken up on the shoulders
of his companions and hailed as emperor. In this
way he arrived at headquarters, amid acclamations and
drawn swords, while everyone whom he met fell in,
just as though he were an accomplice and a partici-
pator in the plot. He then sent emissaries to kill
Galba and Piso, and made no further promises in the
assembly to win the loyalty of the soldiers than to
declare that he would have that — and only that —
which they should leave to him.

VII. Next, as the day was drawing to its close, he
entered the senate and after giving a brief account
of himself, alleging that he had been carried off in the
streets and forced to undertake the rule, which he
would exercise in accordance with the general will,
he went to the Palace. When in the midst of
the other adulations of those who congratulated and
flattered him, he was hailed by the common herd as
Nero, he made no sign of dissent ; on the contrary,
according to some writers, he even made use of that
surname in his commissions and his first letters to
some of the governors of the provinces. Certain it
is that he suffered Nero's busts and statues to be set
up again, and reinstated his procurators and freedmen
in their former posts, while the first grant that he
signed as emperor was one of fifty million sesterces
for finishing the Golden House.

It is said that he had a fearful dream that night,
uttered loud groans, and was found by those who
ran to his aid lying on the ground beside his couch ;
that he tried by every kind of expiatory rite to
propitiate the shade of Galba, by whom he dreamt
that he was ousted and thrown out ; and that next

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tempestate orta graviter prolapsum identideni
obmurmurasse :

Tt yap fioi Kal fiaKpoi? avXois ; 1
VIII. Sub idem vero tempus Germaniciani
exercitus in Vitelli verba iurarant. Quod ut
comperit, auctor senatui fuit mittendae legationis,
quae doceret electum iam principem, quietem
concordiamque 2 suaderet; et tamen per internuntios
ac litteras consortem imperii generumque se Vitellio
optulit. Verum baud dubio bello iamque ducibus
et copiis, quas Vitellius praemiserat, appropin-
quantibus animum fidemque erga se praetorianorum
paene internecione amplissimi ordinis expertus est.
2 Placuerat 3 per classiarios arma transferri remittique
navibus ; ea cum in castris sub noctem promerentur,
insidias quidam suspicati tumultum excitaverunt ;
ac repente omnes nullo certo duce in Palatium
cucurrerunt caedem senatus flagitantes, repulsisque
tribunorum qui inhibere temptabant, nonnullis et
occisis, sic ut erant cruenti, ubinam imperator esset
requi rentes perruperunt in triclinium usque nec nisi
viso destiterunt.

1 av\ois, M and the greater number of the other mas.
have hov\ois.

2 concordiamque, GTS ; et concordiam, T ; the other ms8.
have only concordiam.

3 placuerat, ^ {Torrentius) ; et placuerat, CI; ei, Biicheler.

a Proverbial of undertaking something beyond one's
powers; cf. Cic. ad Att. ii. 16.
6 To Ostia. c Of the armoury.

d This difficult passage is obscure because of its brevity
and perhaps through corruption of the text. The same
story is told by Tacitus (Hist. 1. 80) and Plutarch (Otho,
3.), but the three accounts seem to varv. According
to Suetonius the arms were sent from the praetorian
camp to Ostia, to fit out the (eighteenth) cohort, and the

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day, as he was taking the auspices, a great storm
arose and he had a bad fall, whereat he muttered
from time to time :

With long pipes what concern have I ? °
VIII. Now at about this same time the armies in
Germany swore allegiance to Vitellius. When Otho
learned of this, he persuaded the senate to send a
deputation, to say that an emperor had already been
chosen and to counsel peace and harmony ; but in
spite of this he offered Vitellius by messengers and
letters a share in the imperial dignity and proposed
to become his son-in-law. But when it became
clear that war was inevitable, and the generals and
troops which Vitellius had sent in advance were
already drawing near, he was given a proof of the
affection and loyalty of the praetorians towards him-
self which almost resulted in the destruction of the
senate. It had been resolved that some arms should
be removed and carried back b on shipboard by the
marines ; but as these were being taken out e in the
Camp towards nightfall, some suspected treachery
and started a riot ; then on a sudden all the soldiers
hastened to the Palace without any particular leader,
demanding the death of the senators. After putting
to flight some of the tribunes who attempted to
stop them, and killing others, just as they were, all
blood-stained, they burst right into the dining-room,
demanding to know where the emperor was ; and
they could not be quieted until they had seen him. d

riot started in the praetorian camp ; the account of Tacitus
seems to imply that it was the soldiers from Ostia (joined by
the praetorians) that burst into Otho's dining room : imiden-
tes equis urbem ac Palatium petunt. The arms in question
would seem to be a part of those belonging to the cohort ;
hence remitti. See however Hofstee, ad loc.

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3 Expeditionem autem inpigre atque etiam prae-
propere incohavit, nulla ne religionum quidem cura,
sed et motis necdum conditis ancilibus, quod
antiquitus infaustum habetur, et die, quo cultores
deum Matris lamentari et plangere incipiunt,
praeterea adversissimis auspiciis. Nam et victima
Diti patri caesa litavit, cum tali sacrificia contraria
exta potiora sint, et primo egressu inimdationibus
Tiberis retardatus ad vicensimum etiam lapidem
ruina aedificiorum praeclusam viam offendit.

IX. Simili temeritate, quamvis dubium nemini
esset quin trahi helium oporteret, quando et fame et
angustiis locorum urgeretur hostis, quam primum
tamen decertare statuit, sive impatiens longioris
sollicitudinis speransque ante Vitelli adventum
profligari plurimum posse, sive impar militum ardori
pugnam deposcentium. Nec ulli pugnae affuit
substititque Brixelli.

2 Et tribus quidem, verum mediocribus proeliis
apud Alpes circaque Placentiam et ad Castoris,
quod loco nomen est, vicit; novissimo maximoque
apud Betriacum 1 fraude superatus est, cum spe
conloquii facta, quasi ad condicionem pacis militibus
eductis, ex inproviso atque in ipsa consalutatione 2

1 Betriacum] Bretiacum, ft.

2 consalutatione, n 1 ^ (cf. Tac. Hist. 2. 42) ; the other mss.
have consultatione.

° From the temple of Mars, to be carried through the
streets in the sacred procession. To begin any enterprise
during that time was considered unlucky, and weddings
were avoided ; see Ovid, Fasti, iii. 393.

* Cybele, whose festival was from March 24 to 30.

« Tacitus, Hist. 2. 24, says locus Castorum\(= Castoris et
Pollucis) vocatur, and that it was twelve miles from Cremona.
There was probably a temple there to the Twin Brethren.

240

OTHO

He began his expedition with energy and in fact
too hastily, without any regard even for the omens,
and in spite of the fact that the sacred shields had
been taken out/ 1 but not yet put back, which for ages
has been considered unlucky ; on the very day, too,
when the worshippers of the Mother of the Gods b
begin their wailing and lamentation, and also with
most unfavourable auspices. For having offered up a
victim to father Dis, he had good omens, whereas
in such a sacrifice adverse indications are more
favourable ; and when he first left the city, he
was delayed by floods of the Tiber, while at the
twentieth milestone he found the road blocked by
fallen buildings.

IX. With like rashness, although no one doubted
that the proper course was to protract the war, since
the enemy were hard pressed by hunger and by the
narrowness of their quarters, he decided to fight
a decisive battle as soon as possible, either because
he could not endure the continued worry and hoped
that the war could be ended before the arrival of
Vitellius, or from inability to resist the impetuosity
of his soldiers, who clamoured for the fight. He
himself did not take part in any of the battles, but
remained behind at Brixellum.

He was victorious in three contests, but they
were of little moment : in the Alps, near Placentia,
and "at Castor's," c as the place is called. In the final
and decisive struggle at Betriacum he was defeated,
but through treachery. For hope of a conference
was offered, and when his soldiers were led out in
the belief that they were to discuss terms of peace,
a battle was forced upon them unexpectedly, just as
they were exchanging greetings with the foe.

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3 dimicandum fuisset. Ac statim moriendi impetum
cepit, ut multi nec frustra opinantur, magis pudore,
ne tanto rerum hominumque periculo dominationem
sibi asserere perseveraret, quam desperatione ulla
aut diffidentia copiarum ; quippe residuis integrisque
etiam nunc quas secum ad secundos casus detinuerat,
et supervenientibus aliis e Dalmatia Pannoniaque et
Moesia, ne victis quidem adeo affljctis ut non in
ultionem ignominiae quidvis discriminis ultro et vel
solae subirent.

X. Interfuit huic bello pater meus Suetonius
Laetus, tertiae decimae legionis tribunus angusti-
clavius. Is mox referre crebro solebat Othonem
etiam privatum usque adeo detestatum civilia arma,
ut memorante quodam inter epulas de Cassi
Brutique exitu cohorruerit; nec concursurum cum
Galba fuisse, nisi confideret sine bello rem transigi
posse ; tunc ad despiciendam vitam exemplo
manipularis militis concitatum, qui cum cladem
exCrcitus nuntiaret nec cuiquam fidem faceret ac
nunc mendaci nunc timoris, quasi fugisset, ex acie
argueretur, gladio ante pedes eius incubuerit. Hoc
visQ proclamasse eum aiebat, non amplius se in
periculum talis tamque bene meritos coniecturum.

2 Fratrem igitur fratrisque filium et singulos ami-
corum cohortatus, ut sibi quisque pro facultate
242

OTHO

After the defeat, Otho at once resolved to take his
own life, rather from a feeling of shame, as many
have thought with good reason, and an unwillingness
to persist in a struggle for imperial power at the
expense of such danger to life and property, than
from any despair of success or distrust of his troops ;
for even then he had a fresh and strong force which he
had held in reserve for a second attempt, while others
were on their way from Dalmatia, Pannonia, and
Moesia. Even the defeated troops were not so
crushed as not to undergo any danger, and even
without support undertake to avenge their disgrace.

X. My father Suetonius Laetus took part in that
war, as a tribune of the equestrian order in the
Thirteenth legion. He used often to declare after-
wards that Otho, even when he was a private citizen,
so loathed civil strife, that at the mere mention of
the fate of Brutus and Cassius at a banquet he
shuddered; that he would not have engaged with
Galba, if he had not felt confident that the affair
could be settled peacefully; further, that he was
led to hold his life cheap at that time by the
example of a common soldier. This man on bring-
ing news of the defeat of the army was believed by
no one, but was charged by the soldiers now with
falsehood and now with cowardice, and accused of
running away ; whereupon he fell on his sword at
the emperor's feet. My father used to say that at
this sight Otho cried out that he would no longer
endanger the lives of such brave men, who had
deserved so well.

Having therefore advised his brother, his nephew,
and his friends one by one to look out each for his
own safety as best they could, he embraced and

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consuleret, ab amplexu et osculo suo dimisit omnis,
secretoque capto binos codicillos exaravit, ad sororem
consolatorios et ad Messalinam Neronis, quam
matrimonio destinarat, commendans reliquias suas
et memoriam. Quicquid deinde epistularum erat,
ne cui periculo aut noxae apud victorem forent,
concremavit. Divisit et pecunias domesticis ex copia
praesenti.

XL Atque ita paratus intentusque iam morti,
tumultu inter moras exorto ut eos, qui discedere
et abire coeptabant, corripi quasi desertores de-
tinerique sensit : "Adiciamus," inquit, " vitae et hanc
noctem/' his ipsis totidemque verbis, vetuitque vim
cuiquam fieri ; et in serum usque patente cubiculo,
2 si quis adire vellet, potestatem sui praebuit. Post
hoc sedata siti gelidae aquae potione arripuit duos
pugiones et explorata utriusque acie, cum alterum
pulvino subdidisset, foribus adopertis artissimo
somno quievit. Et circa lucem demum experge-
factus uno se traiecit ictu infra laevam papillam
irrumpentibusque ad primum gemitum modo celans
modo detegens plagam exanimatus est et celeriter,
nam ita praeceperat, funeratus, tricensimo et
octavo aetatis anno et nonagensimo et quinto
imperii die.

XII. Tanto Othonis animo nequaquam corpus aut
habitus competit. Fuisse enim et modicae staturae
et male pedatus scambusque 1 traditur, munditiarum

1 scambusque, Turnebua ; cambusque, fl ; cf. Bonnet,
A.L.L. 13, 579.

244

OTHO

kissed them all and sent them off. Then going to a
retired place he wrote two notes, one of consolation
to his sister, and one to Nero's widow Messalina,
whom he had intended to marry, commending to
her his corpse and his memory. Then he burned
all his letters, to prevent them from bringing danger
or harm to anyone at the hands of the victor. He
also distributed what money he had with him among
his servants.

XI. When he had thus made his preparations and
was now resolved upon death, learning from a dis-
turbance which meantime arose that those who were
beginning to depart and leave the camp were being
seized and detained as deserters, he said " Let us add
this one more night to our life " (these were his very
words), and he forbade the offering of violence to
anyone. Leaving the door of his bedroom open until
a late hour, he gave the privilege of speaking with
him to all who wished to come in. After that
quenching his thirst with a draught of cold water, he
caught up two daggers, and having tried the point of
both of them, put one under his pillow. Then closing
the doors, he slept very soundly. When he at last
woke up at about daylight, he stabbed himself with
a single stroke under the left breast ; and now con-
cealing the wound, and now showing it to those who
rushed in at his first groan, he breathed his last and
was hastily buried (for such were his orders) in the
thirty-eighth year of his age and on the ninety-fifth
day of his reign.

XII. Neither Otho's person nor his bearing sug-
gested such great courage. He is said to have been
of moderate height, splay-footed and bandy-legged,
but almost feminine in his care of his person. He

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vero paene muliebrium, vulso corpore, galericulo
capiti propter raritatem capillorum adaptato et
adnexo, ut nemo dinosceret ; quin et faciem cotidie
rasitare ac pane madido linere consuetum, idque
instituisse a prima lanugine, ne barbatus umquam
esset ; sacra etiam Isidis saepe in lintea religiosaque
2 veste propalam celebrasse. Per quae factum putem,
ut mors eius minime congruens vitae maiore miraculo
fuerit. Multi praesentium militum cum plurimo fletu
manus ac pedes iacentis exosculati, fortissimum virum,
unicum imperatorem praedicantes, ibidem statim nec
procul a rogo vim suae vitae attulerunt ; multi et
absentium accepto nuntio prae dolore armis inter se
ad internecionem concurrerunt. Denique magna pars
hominum incolumem gravissime de testa ta mortuum
laudibus tulit, ut vulgo iactatum sit etiam, Galbam
ab eo non tarn dominandi quam rei p. ac libertatis
restituendae causa interemptum.

Vitellius ,

I. Vitelliorum originem alii aliam et quidem
diversissimam tradunt, partim veterem et nobilem,
partim vero novam et obscuram atque etiam sor-
didam; quod ego per adulatores obtrectatoresque
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had the hair of his body plucked out, and because of
the thinness of his locks wore a wig so carefully
fashioned and fitted to his head, that no one suspected
it. Moreover, they say that he used to shave every day
and smear his face with moist bread, beginning the
practice with the appearance of the first down, so as
never to have a beard ; also that he used to celebrate
the rites of Isis publicly in the linen garment pre-
scribed by the cult. I am inclined to think that it
was because of these habits that a death so little in
harmony with his life excited the greater marvel.
Many of the soldiers who were present kissed his
hands and feet as he lay dead, weeping bitterly and
calling him the bravest of men and an incomparable
emperor, and then at once slew themselves beside
his bier. Many of those who were absent too, on
receiving the news attacked and killed one another
from sheer grief. In short the greater part of those
who had hated him most bitterly while he lived
lauded him to the skies when he was dead ; and it
was even commonly declared that he had put an end
to Galba, not so much for the sake of ruling, as of
restoring the republic and liberty.

Vitellius

I. Of the origin of the Vitellii different and widely
varying accounts are given, some saying that the
family was ancient and noble, others that it was new
and obscure, if not of mean extraction. I should
believe that these came respectively from the

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imperatoris Vitelli evenisse opinarer, nisi aliquanto

2 prius de familiae condicione variatum esset. Exstat
Q. Elogi 1 ad Quintum Vitellium Divi Augusti
quaestorem libellus, quo continetur, Vitellios Fauno
Aboriginum rege et Vitellia, quae multis locis pro
numine coleretur, ortos toto Latio imperasse ; horum
residuam stirpem ex Sabinis transisse Romam atque

3 inter patricios adlectam ; indicia stirpis mansisse diu
viam Vitelliam ab Ianiculo ad mare usque, item
coloniam eiusdem nominis, quam gentili copia ad-
versus Aequiculos tutandam olim depoposcissent ;
tempore deinde Samnitici belli praesidio in Apuliam
misso quosdam ex Vitellis subsedisse Nuceriae eorum-
que progeniem longo post intervallo repetisse urbem
atque ordinem senatorium.

II. Contra plures auctorem generis libertinum
prodiderunt, Cassius Severus nec minus alii eundem
et sutorem veteramentarium, cuius Alius sectionibus
et cognituris uberius compendium nanctus, ex muliere
vulgari, Antiochi cuiusdam furnariam exercentis filia,
equitem R. genuerit. Sed quod discrepat, sit in
2 medio. Ceterum P. Vitellius domo Nuceria, sive ille
stirpis antiquae sive pudendis parentibus atque avis,

1 exstatq(ue) elogi, XI (elogii, XT ; elogium, G).

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VITELLIUS

flatterers and detractors of the emperor, were it not
for a difference of opinion about the standing of the
family at a considerably earlier date. We have a
book of Quintus Elogius addressed to Quintus
Vitellius, quaestor of the Deified Augustus, in which
it is written that the Vitellii were sprung from Faunus,
king of the Aborigines, and Vitellia, who was wor-
shipped as a goddess in many places ; and that they
ruled in all Latium. That the surviving members of
the family moved from the Sabine district to Rome
and were enrolled among the patricians. That traces
of this stock endured long afterwards in the Vitellian
Road, running from the Janiculum all the way to
the sea, as well as in a colony of the same name,
which in ancient days the family had asked the
privilege of defending against the Aequicoli with
troops raised from their own line. That when after-
wards a force was sent into Apulia at the time of the
Samnite war, some of the Vitellii settled at Nuceria,
and that after a long time their descendants returned
to the city and resumed their place in the senatorial
order.

II. On the other hand several have written that
the founder of the family was a freedman, while
Cassius Severus and others as well say further that
he was a cobbler, and that his son, after making a
considerable fortune from the sale of confiscated
estates and the profession of informer, married a
common strumpet, daughter of one Antiochus who
kept a bakery, and became the father of a Roman
knight. But this difference of opinion may be left
unsettled.

In any event Publius Vitellius of Nuceria, whether
of ancient stock or of parents and forefathers in

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eques certe R. et rerum Augusti procurator, quattuor
filios amplissimae dignitatis cognomines ac tantum
praenominibus distinctos reliquit Aulum, Quintum,
Publium, Lucium. Aulus in consulatu obiit, quern
cum Domitio Neronis Caesaris patre inierat, prae-
lautus 1 alioqui famosusque cenarum magnificentia.
Quintus caruit ordine, cum auctore Tiberio secerni
minus idoneos senatores removerique placuisset.

3 Publius, Germaniei comes, Cn. Pisonem inimicum et
interfectorem eius accusavit condemnavitque, ac post
praeturae honorem inter Seiani conscios arreptus et
in custodiam fratri datus scalpro librario venas sibi
incidit, nec tarn mortis paenitentia quam suorum
obtestatione obligari curarique se passus in eadem

4 custodia morbo periit. Lucius ex consulatu Syriae
praepositus, Artabanum Parthorum regem summis
artibus non modo ad conloquium suum, sed etiam ad
veneranda legionum signa pellexit. Mox cum Claudio
principe duos insuper ordinarios consulatus censuram-
que gessit. Curam quoque imperii sustinuit absente
eo expeditione Britannica ; vir innocens et industrius,
sed amore libertinae perinfamis, cuius etiam salivis
melle commixtis, ne clam quidem aut raro sed cotidie

praelautus, Basle ed. of 1533 ; praelatus, a.

a See Tac. Ann. 2. 48. * See Calig. xiv. 3.

250

VITELLIUS

whom he could take no pride, unquestionably a
Roman knight and a steward of Augustus's property,
left four sons of high rank with the same name and
differing only in their forenames : Aulus, Quintus,
Publius and Lucius. Aulus, who was given to luxury
and especially notorious for the magnificence of his
feasts, died a consul, appointed to the office with 32a.d.
Domitius, father of the emperor Nero. Quintus
lost his rank at the time when it was resolved,
at the suggestion of Tiberius, to depose and get rid
of undesirable senators.* Publius, a member of
Germanieus' staff, arraigned Gnaeus Piso, the enemy 20 a.d.
and murderer of his commander, and secured his
condemnation. Arrested among the accomplices of
Sejanus, after holding the praetorship, and handed
over to his own brother to be kept in confinement, 35 a*d
he opened his veins with a penknife, but allowed
himself to be bandaged and restored, not so much
from unwillingness to die, as because of the en-
treaties of his friends ; and he met a natural death
while still in confinement. Lucius attained the
consulate and then was made governor of Syria,
where with supreme diplomacy he not only induced
Artabanus, king of the Parthians, to hold a con- 34 a.d.
ference with him, 6 but even to do obeisance to the
standards of the legion. Later he held, with the
emperor Claudius, two more regular consulships and J*' A 4 D '
the censorship. He also bore the charge of the empire
while Claudius was away on his expedition to Britain.
He was an honest and active man, but of very ill
repute because of his passion for a freedwoman,
which went so far that he used her spittle mixed
with honey to rub on his throat and jaws as a
medicine, not secretly nor seldom, but openly and

251

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VII

5 ac palam, arterias et fauces pro remedio fovebat. Idem
miri in adulando ingenii primus C. Caesarem adorare
ut deum instituit, cum re versus ex Syria non aliter
adire ausus esset quam capite velato circumvertens-
que se, deinde procumbens. Claudium uxoribus
libertisque addictum ne qua non arte demereretur,
proximo munere a Messalina petit ut sibi pedes prae-
beret excalciandos 1 ; detractumque socculum dextrum
inter togam tunicasque gestavit assidue, nonnumquam
osculabundus. Narcissi quoque et Pallantis imagines
aureas inter Lares coluit. Huius et ilia vox est :
" Saepe facias," cum saeculares ludos edenti Claudio
gratularetur.

III. Decessit paralysi altero die quam correptus
est, duobus filiis superstitibus, quos ex Sestilia 2
probatissima nec ignobili femina editos consules
vidit, et quid em eodem ambos totoque anno, cum
maiori minor in sex menses successisset. Defunctum
senatus publico funere honoravit, item statua pro
rostris cum hac inscriptione : pietatis immobilis erga

PR1NCIPEM.

2 A. Vitellius L. filius imperator natus est VIII. Kal.
Oct., vel ut quidam VII. Id. Sept., Druso Caesare
Norbano Flacco cons. Genituram eius praedictam a
mathematicis ita parentes exhorruerunt, ut pater
magno opere semper contenderit, ne qua ei provincia

1 excalciandos] exculciandos, MGU l R ; exosculandos, Q.

2 Sestilia. the mss. except POST, which have Sextilia.

a See Claud, xxix. 1.

» See Claud, xxi. 2.

252

VITELLIUS

every day. He had also a wonderful gift for flattery
and was the first to begin to worship Gaius Caesar as
a god; for on his return from Syria he did not
presume to approach the emperor except with veiled
head, turning himself about and then prostrating
himself. To neglect no means of gaining the favour
of Claudius, who was a slave to his wives and
freedmen, a he begged of Messalina as the highest
possible favour that she would allow him to take off
her shoes ; and when he had taken off her right
slipper, he constantly carried it about between his
toga and his tunic, and sometimes kissed it.
Narcissus also and Pallas he honoured by cherishing
their images among his household gods. It was he
who made the famous remark, " May you often do
it," when he was congratulating Claudius at the
celebration of the Secular games. 6

III. He died of a paralytic stroke on the second
day after he was seized, leaving two sons, begotten
of Sestilia, a most worthy woman and of no mean
family, and having lived to see them consuls both in
the same year, and for the whole year, since the
younger succeeded the elder for six months. On
his decease the senate honoured him with a public
funeral and with a statue on the rostra with this
inscription: "Of unwavering loyalty to his emperor."

The emperor Aulus Vitellius, son of Lucius, was
born on the eight day before the Kalends of October, Sept.24,
or according to some, on the seventh day before the 15 A * D *
Ides of September, in the consulship of Drusus Sept. 7
Caesar and Norbanus Flaccus. His parents were
so aghast at his horoscope as announced by the
astrologers, that his father tried his utmost, while he
lived, to prevent the assignment of any province to

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vivo se committeretur, mater et missum ad legiones
et appellatum imperatorem pro afflicto statim lamen-
tata sit. Pueritiam primamque adulescentiam Capreis
egit inter Tiberiana scorta, et ipse perpetuo Spintriae 1
cognomine notatus existimatusque corporis gratia
initium et causa incrementorum patri fuisse.

IV. Sequenti quoque aetate omnibus probris
contaminatus, praecipuum in aula locum tenuit,
Gaio per aurigandi, Claudio per aleae studium fami-
liaris, sed aliquanto Neroni acceptior, cum propter
eadem haec, turn peculiari merito, quod praesi-
dens certamini Neroneo cupientem inter citha-
roedos contendere nec quamvis flagitantibus cunctis
promittere audentem ideoque egressum theatro revo-
caverat, quasi perseverantis populi legatione suscepta,
exorandumque praebuerat.

V. Trium itaque principum indulgentia non solum
honoribus verum et sacerdotiis amplissimis auctus,
proconsulatum Africae post haec curamque operum
publicorum administravit et voluntate dispari et
existimatione. In provincia singularem innocentiam
praestitit biennio continuato, cum succedenti fratri
legatus substitisset ; at in urbano officio dona atque
ornamenta templorum subripuisse et commutasse
quaedam ferebatur proque auro et argento stagnum 2
et aurichalcum supposuisse.

1 spintriae] spintheriae, mss.

2 stagnum, the mss. except O (stamnum) nV (stannum).
a See Tib. xliii. 1. 6 See Nero, xii. 3 and xxi.

254

VITELLIUS

his son ; and when he was sent to the legions and
hailed as emperor, his mother immediately mourned
over him as lost. He spent his boyhood and early
youth at Capreae among the wantons of Tiberius,
being branded for all time with the nickname
Spintria a and suspected of having been the cause of
his father's first advancement at the expense of his
own chastity.

IV. Stained by every sort of baseness as he ad-
vanced in years, he held a prominent place at court,
winning the intimacy of Gaius by his devotion to
driving and of Claudius by his passion for dice. But
he was still dearer to Nero, not only because of
these same qualities, but because of a special service
besides ; for when he was presiding at the contests
of the Neronia b and Nero wished to compete among
the lyre-players, but did not venture to do so al-
though there was a general demand for him and
accordingly left the theatre, Vitellius called him
back, alleging that he came as an envoy from the
insistent people, and thus gave Nero a chance to
yield to their entreaties.

V. Having in this way through the favour of three
emperors been honoured not only with political
positions but with distinguished priesthoods as well,

he afterwards governed Africa as proconsul and 60a.d.
served as curator of public works, but with varying
purpose and reputation. In his province he showed
exceptional integrity for two successive years, for
he served as deputy to his brother, who succeeded
him; but in his city offices he was said to have
stolen some of the offerings and ornaments from the
temples and changed others, substituting tin and
brass for gold and silver,

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VI. Uxorem habuit Petroniam consularis viri
filiam et ex ea filium Petronianum captum altero
oculo. Hunc heredem a matre sub condieione
institutum, si de potestate patris exiisset, manu emisit
brevique, ut creditum est, interemit, insimulatum
insuper parricidii et quasi paratum ad scelus vene-
num ex conscientia hausisset. Duxit mox Galeriam
Fundanam praetorio patre ac de hac quoque liberos
utriusque sexus tulit, sed marem titubantia oris prope
mutum et elinguem.

VII. A Galba in inferiorem Germaniam contra
opinionem missus est. Adiutum putant T. Vini 1
suffragio, tunc potentissimi et cui iam pridem per
communem factionis Venetae favorem conciliatus
esset ; nisi quod Galba prae se tulit nullos minus
metuendos quam qui de solo victu cogitarent, ac
posse provincialibus copiis profundam gulam eius
expleri, ut cuivis evidens sit contemptu magis quam

2 gratia electum. Satis constat exituro viaticum de-
fuisse, tanta egestate rei familiaris, ut uxore et liberis,
quos Romae relinquebat, meritorio cenaculo abditis
domum in reliquam partem anni ablocaret utque ex
aure matris detractum unionem pigneraverit ad
itineris impensas. Creditorum quidem praestolan-
tium ac detinentium turbam et in iis Sinuessanos
Formianosque, quorum publica vectigatfa interver-

1 Vini, Torr&nliuB ; Iuni, fl.

a A faction in the Circus ; see note on CcUig. lv. 2.

256

VITELLIUS

VI. He had to wife Petronia, daughter of an ex-
consul, and by her a son Petronianus, who was blind
in one eye. Since this son was named as his mother's
heir on condition of being freed from his fathers
authority, he manumitted him, but shortly afterwards
killed him, according to the general belief, charging
him besides with attempted parricide, and alleging
that his guilty conscience had led him to drink
the poison which he had mixed for his intended
crime. Soon afterwards he married Galeria Fundana,
daughter of an ex-praetor, and from her too he had
a son and a daughter, but the former stammered so,
that he was all but dumb and tongue-tied.

VII. Galba surprised everyone by sending him to
Lower Germany. Some think that it was due to
Titus Vinius, who had great influence at the time, and
whose friendship Vitellius had long since won through
their common support of the Blues." But since
Galba openly declared that no men were less to be
feared than those who thought of nothing but eating,
and that Vitellius's bottomless gullet might be filled
from the resources of the province, it is clear to
anyone that he was chosen rather through contempt
than favour. It is notorious that when he was about
to start, he lacked means for his travelling expenses,
and that his need of funds was such, that after con-
signing his wife and children, whom he left in Rome,
to a hired garret, he let his house for the rest of
the year ; and that he took a valuable pearl from his
mother's ear and pawned it, to defray the expenses
of his journey. He had to resort to false accusation
to get rid of the throng of creditors that lay in wait
for him and tried to detain him, including the people
of Sinuessa and of Formiae, whose public revenues he

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terat, non nisi terrore calumniae amovit, cum
libertino cuidam acerbius debitum reposcenti iniu-
riarum formulam, quasi calce ab eo percussus,
intendisset nec aliter quam extortis quinquaginta
sestertiis remisisset.

3 Advenientem male animatus erga principem exer-
citus pronusque ad res novas libens ac supinis raani-
bus excepit velut dono deum oblatum, ter consul is
filium, aetate integra, facili ac prodigo animo.
Quam veterem de se persuasionem Vitellius recenti-
bus etiam experimentis auxerat, tota via caligatorum
quoque militum obvios exosculans perque stabula ac
deversoria mulionibus ac viatoribus praeter modum
comis, ut mane singulos iamne iantassent sciscitare-
tur seque fecisse ructu quoque ostenderet.

VIII. Castra vero ingressus nihil cuiquam poscenti
negavit atque etiam ultro ignominiosis notas, reis
sordes, damnatis supplicia dempsit. Quare vixdum
mense transacto, neque diei neque temporis ratione
habita, ac iam vespere, subito a militibus e cubiculo
raptus, ita ut erat in veste domestica, imperator
est consalutatus circumlatusque per celeberrimos
vicos, strictum Divi Iuli gladium tenens detractum
delubro Martis atque in prima gratulatione porrec-

2 turn sibi a quodam. Nec ante in praetorium rediit
quam flagrante triclinio ex conceptu earning cum

° Supinis manibus, " with hands uplifted," to the gods in
gratitude. * See Aug. xxxii. 2.

• Cf. Aug. lxxiii. and the note. See also Seneca, De
Tranq. An. 1. 5, placet . . . non ex arcula prolafa vestia
. . . 8td domeatica et vilis, nec servata nec sumenda sollicile.

258

VITELLIUS

had embezzled ; for he brought an action for damages
against a freedman who was somewhat persistent in
demanding what was due to him, alleging that he had
been kicked by him, and would not let him off until
he had squeezed him to the tune of fifty thousand
sesterces.

On his arrival the army, which was disaffected
towards the emperor and inclined to mutiny, received
him gladly with open arms, a as if he had come to
them as a gift from the gods ; since he was the son of
a man who had thrice been consul, in the prime of
life, and of an easy-going and lavish disposition.
This earlier good opinion Vitellius had also strength-
ened by recent acts, for throughout the march he
kissed even the common soldiers whom he met, and
at the posthouses and inns he was unusually affable
to the mule drivers and travellers, asking each of
them in the morning whether they had breakfasted
and even showing by belching that he had done so.

VIII. As soon as he entered the camp, he granted
every request that anyone made and even of his own
accord freed those in disgrace from their penalties,
defendants of suits from their mourning, 6 and the
convicted from punishment. Therefore hardly a
month had passed, when the soldiers, regardless of
the hour, for it was already evening, hastily took him
from his bedroom, just as he was, in his common house-
clothes/ and hailed him as emperor. Then he was
carried about the most populous villages, holding a
drawn sword of the Deified Julius, which someone had
taken from a shrine of Mars and handed him during
the first congratulations. He did not return to head-
quarters until the dining-room caught fire from the
stove and was ablaze ; and then, when all were shocked

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quidem consternatis et quasi omine adverso anxiis
omnibus : " Bono," inquit, " animo estote ! nobis
adluxit," nullo sermone alio apud milites usus. Con-
sentiente deinde etiam superioris provinciae exercitu,
qui prior a Galba ad senatum defecerat, cognomen
Germanici delatum ab universis cupide recepit,
Augusti distulit, Caesaris in perpetuum recusavit.

IX. Ac subinde caede Galbae adnuntiata, com-
positis Germanicis rebus, partitus est copias, quas
adversus Othonem praemitteret quasque ipse per-
duceret. Praemisso agmine laetum evenit auspicium,
siquidem a parte dextra repente aquila advolavit
lustratisque 1 signis ingressos viam sensim antecessit.
At contra ipso movente statuae equestres, cum
plurifariam ei ponerentur, fractis repente cruribus
pariter corruerunt, et laurea, quam religiosissime
circumdederat, in profluentem excidit ; mox Viennae
pro tribunali iura reddenti gallinaceus supra umerum
ac deinde in capite astitit. Quibus ostentis par
respondit exitus ; nam confirmatum per legatos suos
imperium per se retinere non potuit.

X. De Betriacensi victoria et Othonis exitu, cum
adhuc in Gallia esset, audiit nihilque cunctatus, quic-
quid praetorianarum cohortium fuit, ut pessimi ex-
empli, uno exauctoravit edicto iussas tribunis tradere
arma. Centum autem atque viginti, quorum libellos

1 lustratisque, $- {second Roman edition) ; lustravitque, A.

• Vienne, on the Rhone. * See chap, xviii. below.

• In deserting Galba for Otho.

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and troubled at what seemed a bad omen, he said :
" Be of good cheer ; to us light is given " ; and this
was his only address to the soldiers. When he
presently received the support of the army of the
upper province too, which had previously transferred
its allegiance from Galba to the senate, he eagerly
accepted the surname of Germanicus, which was
unanimously offered him, put off accepting the title
of Augustus, and forever refused that of Caesar.

IX. Then hearing of the murder of Galba, he
settled affairs in Germany and made two divisions of
his forces, one to send on against Otho, and the other
to lead in person. The former was greeted with a
lucky omen at the start, for an eagle suddenly flew
towards them from the right and after hovering
about the standards, slowly preceded their line of
march. But, on the contrary, when he himself began
his advance, the equestrian statues which were being
set up everywhere in his honour on a sudden all
collapsed with broken legs, and the laurel crown
which he had put on with due ceremony fell into
a running stream. Later, as he was sitting in judg-
ment on the tribunal at Vienna,* a cock perched on
his shoulder and then on his head. 6 And the out-
come corresponded with these omens; for he was
not by his own efforts able to retain the power
which his lieutenants secured for him.

X. He heard of the victory* at Betriacum and of
the death of Otho when he was still in Gaul, and with-
out delay by a single edict he disbanded all the prae-
torian cohorts, as having set a pernicious example/
and bade them hand over their arms to their
tribunes. Furthermore, he gave orders that one
hundred and twenty of them should be hunted up

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Othoni datos invenerat exposcentium praemium ob
editam in caede Galbae operam, conquiri et supplicio
adfici imperavit, egregie prorsus atque magnifice et ut
' summi principis spem ostenderet, nisi cetera magis
ex natura et priore vita sua quam ex imperii maies-

2 tate gessisset. Namque itinere incohato per medias
civitates ritu triumphant] um vectus est perque
flumina delicatissimis navigiis et variarum coronarum
genere redimitis, inter profusissimos obsoniorum
apparatus, nulla familiae aut militis disciplina,
rapinas ac petulantiam omnium in iocum vertens, qui
non contenti epulo ubique publice praebito, quoscum-
que libuisset in libertatem asserebant, verbera et
plagas, saepe vulnera, nonnumquam necem reprae-

3 sentantes adversantibus. Utque campos, in quibus
pugnatum est, adit, abhorrentis quosdam cadaverum
tabem detestabili voce confirmare ausus est, optime
olere occisum hostem et melius civem. Nec eo
setius ad leniendam gravitatem odoris plurimum
meri propalam hausit passimque divisit. Pari vani-
tate atque insolentia lapidem memoriae Othonis
in scrip turn intuens dignum eo Mausoleo ait, pugio-
nemque, quo is se occiderat, in Agrippinensem
coloniam misit Marti dedicandum. In Appennini
quidem iugis etiam pervigilium egit.

a Modern Cologne.

* See note c on CcUig. liv. 2. The connection suggests an
orgy in celebration of his victory.

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and punished, having found petitions which they had
written to Otho, asking for a reward for services
rendered in connection with Galba's murder. These
acts were altogether admirable and noble, and such
as to give hope that he would be a great prince,
had it not been that the rest of his conduct was
more in harmony with his natural disposition and his
former habits of life than with imperial dignity.
For when he had begun his march, he rode through
the middle of the cities like a triumphing general,
and on the rivers he sailed in most exquisite craft
wreathed with various kinds of garlands, amid lavish
entertainments, with no discipline among his house-
hold or the soldiers, making a jest of the pillage
and wantonness of all his followers. For not
content with the banquets which were furnished
them everywhere at public expense, they set free
whatever slaves they pleased, promptly paying those
who remonstrated with blows and stripes, often with
wounds, and sometimes with death. When he came
to the plains where the battle was fought and some
shuddered with horror at the mouldering corpses,
he had the audacity to encourage them by the
abominable saying, that the odour of a dead enemy
was sweet and that of a fellow-citizen sweeter still.
But nevertheless, the better to bear the awful stench,
he openly drained a great draught of unmixed wine
and distributed some among the troops. With
equal bad taste and arrogance, gazing upon the stone
inscribed to the memory of Otho, he declared that
he deserved such a Mausoleum, and sent the dagger
with which his rival had killed himself to the Colony of
Agrippina, a to be dedicated to Mars. He also held an
all night festival b on the heights of the Apennines.

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XI. Urbem denique ad classicum introiit palu-
datus ferroque succinctus, inter signa atque vexilla,
sagulatis comitibus ac detectis commilitonum armis.

2 Magis deinde ac magis omni divino hunianoque
iure neglecto Alliensi die pontificatum maximum
cepit, comitia in decern annos ordinavit seque
perpetuum consulem. Et ne cui dubium foret, quod
exemplar regendae rei p. eligeret, medio Martio
campo adhibita publicorum sacerdotum frequentia
inferias Neroni dedit ac sollemni convivio citharoedum
placentem palam admonuit, ut aliquid et de dominico
diceret, incohantique Neroniana cantica primus
exsultans etiam plausit.

XII. Talibus principiis magnam imperii partem
non nisi consilio et arbitrio vilissimi cuiusque
histrionum et aurigarum administravit et maxime
Asiatici liberti. Hunc adulescentulum mutua libidine
constupratum, mox taedio profugum cum Puteolis
poscam vendentem reprehendisset, coniecit in com-
pedes statimque solvit 1 et rursus in deliciis habuit ;
iterum deinde ob nimiam contumaciam et furacitatem
gravatus circumforano 2 lanistae vendidit dilatumque
ad finem muneris repente subripuit et provincia
demum accepta manumisit ac primo imperii die

1 solvit, Basle edition of 1533 ; coluit, n.
a circumforano] circumforaneo, j-.

A day of special ill omen because of the defeat by the
Gauls in 390 b.c.

* Dominions (liber) was the name applied to a collection of
Nero's compositions.

A drink made of sour wine or vinegar mixed wit^h water.

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XL Finally he entered the city to the sound of
the trumpet, wearing a general's mantle and a sword
at his side, amid standards and banners, with his staff*
in military cloaks and his troops with drawn swords.

Then showing greater and greater disregard for
the laws of gods and men, he assumed the office
of high priest on the day of Allia, a held elections
for ten years to come, and made himself consul for
life. And to leave no doubt in anyone's mind what
model he chose for the government of the State, he
made funerary offerings to Nero in the middle of the
Campus Martius, attended by a great throng of
the official priests ; and when at the accompanying
banquet a flute-player was received with applause,
he openly urged him " to render something from the
Master's Book b as well " ; and when he began the
songs of Nero, Vitellius was the first to applaud him
and even jumped for joy.

XII. Beginning in this way, he regulated the
greater part of his rule wholly according to the
advice and whims of the commonest of actors
and chariot-drivers, and in particular of his freed-
man Asiaticus. This fellow had immoral relations
with Vitellius in his youth, but later grew weary of
him and ran away. When Vitellius came upon him
selling posca c at Puteoli, he put him in irons, but
at once freed him again and made him his favourite.
His vexation was renewed by the man's excessive in-
solence and thievishness, and he sold him to an itiner-
ant keeper of gladiators. When, however, he was once
reserved for the end of a gladiatorial show, Vitellius
suddenly spirited him away, and finally on getting
his province set him free. On the first day of his
reign he presented him with the golden ring at a

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aureis donavit anulis super cenam, cum mane
rogantibus pro eo cunctis detestatus esset severissime
talem equestris ordinis maculam.

XIII. Sed vel praecipue luxuriae saevitiaeque
deditus epulas trifariam semper, interdum quadri-
fariam dispertiebat, in iantacula et prandia et cenas
comissationesque, facile omnibus sufficiens vomitandi
consuetudine. Indicebat autem aliud alii eadem
die, nec cuiquam minus singuli apparatus quad-

2 ringenis milibus nummum constiterunt. Famosissima
super ceteras fuit cena data ei adventicia a fratre,
in qua duo milia lectissimorum piscium, septem
avium apposita traduntur. Hanc quoque exsuperavit
ipse dedicatione patina e, quam ob immensam
magnitudinem clipeum Minervae ttoAiovxov 1 dicti-
tabat. In hac scarorum iocinera, phasianarum 2 et
pavonum cerebella, linguas phoenicopterum, mure-
narum lactes a Parthia usque fretoque Hispanico per

3 navarchos ac triremes petitarum commiscuit. Ut
autem homo non profundae modo sed intempestivae
quoque ac sordidae gulae, ne in sacrificio quidem
umquam aut itinere ullo temperavit, quin inter
altaria ibidem statim viscus et farris frusta 3 paene

° The icntactdtim was ordinarily a very light breakfast ;
Vitellius made a banquet of it.

b Probably referring to the colossal statue of Athena
Promachos on the Acropolis at Athens. Pliny, N.H. 35.
163 ff., says that the platter cost a million sesterces, and

1 -roXiovxou, Stephanus'y rovtvxov, A.

8 phasianarum] fasianarum, A.

8 farris frusta and farra, j- ; farris, A.

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VITELLIUS

banquet, although in the morning, when there was a
general demand that Asiaticus be given that honour,
he had deprecated in the strongest terms such a blot
on the equestrian order.

XIII. But his besetting sins were luxury and
cruelty. He divided his feasts into three, sometimes
into four a day, breakfast,* luncheon, dinner, and a
drinking bout ; and he was readily able to do justice
to all of them through his habit of taking emetics.
Moreover, he had himself invited to each of these
meals by different men on the same day, and the
materials for any one of them never cost less than four
hundred thousand sesterces. Most notorious of all
was the dinner given by his brother to celebrate the
emperor's arrival in Rome, at which two thousand of
the choicest fishes and seven thousand birds are said
to have been served. He himself eclipsed even this
at the dedication of a platter, which on account of
its enormous size he called the " Shield of Minerva,
Defender of the City." b In this he mingled the
livers of pike, the brains of pheasants and peacocks,
the tongues of flamingoes and the milt of lampreys,
brought by his captains and triremes from the
whole empire, from Parthia to the Spanish strait. c
Being besides a man of an appetite that was not
only boundless, but also regardless of time or
decency, he could never refrain, even when he was
sacrificing or making a journey, from snatching bits
of meat and cakes amid the altars, almost from the
very fire, and devouring them on the spot ; and in

that to make it a special furnace was built in the open
fields.

c That is, from the eastern to the western limits of the
Roman world*

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rapta e foco manderet circaque viarum popinas
fumantia obsonia vel pridiana atque semesa.

XIV. Pronus vero ad cuiuscumque et quacumque
de causa necem atque supplicium nobiles viros,
condiscipulos et aequales suos, omnibus blanditiis
tantum non ad societatem imperii adlicefactos vario
genere fraudis occidit, etiam unum veneno manu
sua porrecto in aquae frigidae potione, quam is

2 adfectus febre poposcerat. Turn faeneratorum et
stipulatorum publicanorumque, qui umquam se aut
Romae debitum aut in via portorium flagitassent,
vix ulli pepercit ; ex quibus quendam in ipsa
salutatione supplicio traditum statimque revocatum,
cunctis clementiam laudantibus, coram interfici
iussit, velle se dicens pascere oculos ; alterius poenae

3 duos filios adiecit deprecari pro patre conatos. Sed
et equitem R. proclamantem, cum raperetur ad
poenam : " Heres meus es/' exhibere testamenti
tabulas coegit, utque legit coheredem sibi libertum
eius ascriptum, iugulari cum liberto imperavit.
Quosdam et de plebe ob id ipsum, quod Venetae
factioni clare male dixerant, inter emit con tempt u

4 sui et nova spe id ausos opinatus. 1 Nullis tamen
infensior quam vernaculis et mathematicis, ut quisque

1 opinatus] obstinatus, MY ; obstinatosque, O,

° See CcUig. liv. 2.

b Vemacvlus and vema are used by Martial 10. 3. 1 and
1. 41. 2 in the sense of "buffoons," a meaning derived from
the proverbial insolence of the vemat, or home-born slaves.
The connection of the word here with mathematicis, and the
fact that only the astrologers are mentioned in what follows,
would seem to imply that the lampoons of these jesters
contained predictions about Vitellius.

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the. cookshops along the road, viands smoking hot or
even those left over from the day before and partly
consumed.

XIV. He delighted in inflicting death and torture
on anyone whatsoever and for any cause whatever,
putting to death several men of rank, fellow students
and comrades of his, whom he had solicited to
come to court by every kind of deception, all but
offering them a share in the rule. This he did in
various treacherous ways, even giving poison to one
of them with his own hand in a glass of cold water,
for which the man had called when ill of a fever.
Besides he spared hardly one of the money-lenders,
contractors, and tax-gatherers who had ever de-
manded of him the payment of a debt at Rome or of a
toll on a journey. When one of these had been
handed over for execution just as he was paying his
morning call and at once recalled, as all were
praising the emperor's mercy, Vitellius gave orders
to have him killed in his presence, saying that he
wished to feast his eyes. In another case he had two
sons who attempted to intercede for their father put
to death with him. A Roman knight also, who cried
as he was being taken off to execution, " You are my
heir," he compelled to show his will ; and reading
that one of the man's freedmen was put down as
joint-heir with himself, he ordered the death both
of the knight and the freedman. He even killed
some of the common people, merely because they
had openly spoken ill of the Blue faction, thinking
that they had ventured to do this from contempt of
himself and the anticipation of a change of rulers.
But he was especially hostile to writers of lampoons 6
and to astrologers, and whenever any one of them was

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deferretur, inauditum capite puniebat exacerbatus,
quod post edictum suum, quo iubebat intra Kal.
Oct. urbe Italiaque mathematici excederent, statim
libellus propositus est, et Chaldaeos dicere, bonum
factum, ne Vitellius Germanicus intra eundem

5 Kalendarum diem usquam esset. Suspectus et in
morte matris fuit, quasi aegrae praeberi cibum
prohibuisset, vaticinante Chatta 1 muliere, cui velut
oraculo adquiescebat, ita demum firmiter ac diu-
tissime imperaturum, si superstes parenti exstitisset.
Alii tradunt ipsam taedio praesentium et imminen-
tium metu venenum a filio impetrasse, haud
sane difficulter.

XV. Octavo imperii mense desciverunt ab eo
exercitus Moesiarum atque Pannoniae, item ex
transmarinis Iudaicus et Syriaticus, ac pars in ab-
sentis pars in praesentis Vespasiani verba iurarunt.
Ad retinendum ergo ceterorum hominum studium
ac favorem nihil non publice privatimque nullo ad-
hibito modo largitus est. Dilectum quoque ea
condicione in urbe egit, ut voluntariis non modo
missionem post victoriam, sed etiam veteranorum

2 iustaeque militiae commoda polliceretur. Urgenti
deinde terra marique hosti hinc fratrem cum classe ac
tironibus et gladiatorum manu opposuit, hinc Betria-
censes copias et duces ; atque ubique aut superatus

1 Chatta] Chattha, MO ; catha, T ; cata, X.

a That is, the astrologers, for whom Chaldaei became a
general term. 6 See note on Jul. lxxx. 2.

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accused, he put him to death without trial, particu-
larly incensed because after a proclamation of his in
which he ordered the astrologers to leave the city
and Italy before the Kalends of October, a placard
was at once posted, reading : " By proclamation of
the Chaldeans, God bless the State 6 ! Before the
same day and date let Vitellius Germanicus have
ceased to live." Moreover, when his mother died,
he was suspected of having forbidden her being
given food when she was ill, because a woman of the
Chatti, in whom he believed as he would in an oracle,
prophesied that he would rule securely and for a
long time, but only if he should survive his parent.
Others say that through weariness of present evils
and fear of those which threatened, she asked poison
of her son, and obtained it with no great difficulty.

XV. In the eighth month of his reign the armies
of the Moesian provinces and Pannonia revolted from
him, and also in the provinces beyond the seas those
of Judaea and Syria, the former swearing allegiance
to Vespasian in his absence and the latter in his
presence. Therefore, to retain the devotion and
favour of the rest of the people, there was nothing
that he did not lavish publicly and privately, without
any limit whatever. He also held a levy in the city,
promising those who volunteered not only their
discharge upon his victory but also the rewards and
privileges given to veterans after their regular term
of service. Later, when his enemies were pressing
him hard by land and sea, he opposed to them in
one quarter his brother with a fleet manned by raw
recruits and a band of gladiators, and in another the
forces and leaders who had fought at Betriacum.
And after he was everywhere either worsted or

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aut proditus salutem sibi et milies sestertium a
Flavio Sabino Vespasiani fratre pepigit ; statimque
pro gradibus Palati apud frequentes milites cedere
se imperio quod invitus recepisset professus, cunctis
reclamantibus 1 rem distulit ac nocte interposita
primo diluculo sordidatus descendit ad rostra multis-
que cum lacrimis eadem ilia, verum e libello testatus

3 est. Rursus interpellate milite ac populo et ne
deficeret hortante omnemque operam suam certatim
pollicente, animum resumpsit Sabinumque et reliquos
Flavianos nihil iam metuentis vi subita in Capitol ium
compulit succensoque templo Iovis Optimi Maximi
oppressit, cum et proelium et incendium e Tiberiana
prospiceret domo inter epulas. Non multo post
paenitens facti et in alios culpam conferens vocata
contione iuravit coegitque iurare et ceteros nihil

4 sibi antiquius quiete publica fore. Tunc solutum a
latere pugionem consuli primum, deinde illo re-
cusante magistratibus ac mox senatoribus singulis
porrigens, nullo recipiente, quasi in aede Concordiae
positurus abscessit. Sed quibusdam adclamantibus
ipsum esse Concordiam, rediit nec solum retinere se
ferrum affirmavit, verum etiam Concordiae recipere
cognomen.

* Asa sign that he was willing to renounce the power of
life and death over the people ; Tao. Hi*t. 3. 68.

reclamantibus, S? ; declamantibus, A.

272

VITELLIUS

betrayed, he made a bargain with Flavius Sabinus,
the brother of Vespasian, that he should have his
own life and a hundred million sesterces. There-
upon he immediately declared from the steps of
the Palace before his assembled soldiers, that he
withdrew from the rule which had been given
him against his will ; but when all cried out
against this, he postponed the matter, and after a
night had passed, went at daybreak to the rostra
in mourning garb and with many tears made the
same declaration, but from a written document.
When the people and soldiers again interrupted him
and besought him not to lose heart, vying with one
another in promising him all their efforts in his
behalf, he again took courage and by a sudden
onslaught drove Sabinus and the rest of the Flavians,
who no longer feared an attack, into the Capitol.
Then he set fire to the temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus and destroyed them, viewing the battle
and the fire from the house of Tiberius, where he
was feasting. Not long afterwards he repented of
his action and throwing the blame upon others,
called an assembly and took oath, compelling the
rest to do the same, that there was nothing for
which he would strive more earnestly than for the
public peace. Then he took a dagger from his side
and offered it first to the consul, and when he refused
it, to the magistrates, and then to the senators, one
by one. a When no one would take it, he went off
as if he would place it in the temple of Concord ; but
when some cried out that he himself was Concord,
he returned and declared that he would not only
retain the steel but would also adopt the surname
Concordia.

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XVI. Suasitque senatui, ut legatos cum virginibus
Vestalibus mitterent pacem aut certe tempus ad
consultandum petituros.

Postridie responsa opperienti nuntiatum est per
exploratorem hostes appropinquare. Continuo igitur
abstrusus gestatoria sella duobus solis comitibus,
pistore et coco, Aventinum et paternam domum clam
petit, ut inde in Campaniam fugeret ; mox levi
rum ore et incerto, tamquam pax impetrata esset,
referri se in Palatium passus est. Ubi cum deserta
omnia repperisset, dilabentibus et qui simul erant,
zona se aureorum plena circumdedit confugitque in
cellulam ianitoris, religato pro foribus cane lectoque
et culcita obiectis.

XVII. Irruperant iam agminis antecessores ac
nemine obvio rimabantur, ut fit, singula. Ab his
extractus e latebra, sciscitantes, quis esset — nam
ignorabatur — et ubi esse Vitellium sciret, mendacio
elusit; deinde agnitus rogare non destitit, quasi
quaedam de salute Vespasiani dicturus, ut custo-
diretur interim vel in carcere, donee religatis post
terga manibus, iniecto cervicibus laqueo, veste di-
scissa seminudus in Forum tractus est inter magna
rerum verborumque ludibria per totum viae Sacrae
spatium, reducto coma capite, ceu noxii solent, atque
etiam mento mucrone gladii subrecto, ut visendam

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VITELLIUS

XVI. He also persuaded the senate to send envoys
with the Vestal virgins, to sue for peace or at least
to gain time for conference.

The following day, as he was waiting for a reply,
word was brought by a scout that the enemy were
drawing near. Then he was at once hurried into a
sedan with only two companions, a baker and a cook,
and secretly went to his fathers house on the
Aventine, intending to flee from there to Campania.
Presently, on a slight and dubious rumour that peace
had been granted, he allowed himself to be taken
back to the Palace. Finding everything abandoned
there, and that even those who were with him were
making off, he put on a girdle filled with gold pieces
and took refuge in the lodge of the door-keeper,
tying a dog before the door and putting a couch and
a mattress against it.

XVII. The foremost of the army had now forced
their way in, and since no one opposed them, were
ransacking everything in the usual way. They
dragged Vitellius from his hiding-place and when
they asked him his name (for they did not know him)
and if he knew where Vitellius was, he attempted
to escape them by a lie. Being soon recognised, he
did not cease to beg that he be confined for a time,
even in the prison, alleging that he had something
to say of importance to the safety of Vespasian. But
they bound his arms behind his back, put a noose
about his neck, and dragged him with rent garments
and half-naked to the Forum. All along the Sacred
Way he was greeted with mockery and abuse, his
head held back by the hair, as is common with
criminals, and even the point of a sword placed under
his chin, so that he could not look down but must let

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2 praeberet faciem neve sunimitteret ; quibusdam ster-
core et caeno incessentibus, aliis incendiarium et
patinarium vociferantibus, parte vnlgi etiam corporis
vitia exprobrante ; erat enim in eo enormis proceritas,
facies rubida plerumque ex vinulentia, venter obesus,
alterum femur subdebile impulsu olim quadrigae, cum
auriganti Gaio ministratorem exhiberet. Tandem
apud Gemonias minutissimis ictibus excarnificatus
atque confectus est et inde unco tractus in Tiberim.

XVIII. Periit cum fratre et filio anno vitae septimo
quinquagesimo ; nec fefellit coniectura eorum qui
augurio, quod factum ei Viennae ostendimus, non
aliud portendi praedixerant quam venturum in
ali cuius Gallicani hominis potestatem, siquidem ab
Antonio Primo adversarum partium duce oppressus
est, cui Tolosae nato cognomen in pueritia Becco
fuerat : id valet gallinacei rostrum.

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his face be seen. Some pelted him with dung and
ordure, others called him incendiary and glutton, and
some of the mob even taunted him with his bodily
defects. He was in fact abnormally tall, with a face
usually flushed from hard drinking, a huge belly, and
one thigh crippled from being struck once upon a time
by a four-horse chariot, when he was in attendance
on Gaius as he was driving. At last on the Stairs
of Wailing he was tortured for a long time and then
despatched and dragged off with a hook to the Tiber.

XVIII. He met his death, along with his brother
and his son, in the fifty-seventh year of his age,
fulfilling the prediction of those who had declared
from an omen which befell him at Vienna, as we have
stated,* that he was destined to fall into the power
of some man of Gaul. For he was slain by Antonius
Primus, a leader of the opposing faction, who was
born at Tolosa and in his youth bore the surname
Becco, which means a roosters beak. 6
° Chap, be., above.

* QaUus means " a cock," as well as " a Gaul."

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TITUS, DOMITIAN

Digitized by

LIBER VIII

DIVUS VESPASIANUS DIVUS TITUS
DOMITIANUS

Divus Vespasianus

I. Rebellion e trium principum et caede incertum
diu et quasi vagum imperium suscepit firmavitque
tandem gens Flavia, obscura ilia quidem ac sine ullis
maiorum imaginibus, sed tamen rei p. nequaquam
paenitenda, constet licet Domitianum cupiditatis ac
saevitiae merito poenas luisse.
2 T. Flavius Petro, municeps Reatinus, bello civili
Pompeianarum parti um centurio an evocatus, profu-
git ex Pharsalica acie domumque se con tu lit, ubi
deinde venia et missione impetrata coactiones
argentarias factitavit. Huius Alius, cognomine
Sabinus, expers militiae — etsi quidam eum primi-
pilarem, nonnulli, cum adhuc ordines duceret, Sacra-
mento solutum per causam valitudinis tradunt —
publicum quadragesimae in Asia egit ; manebantque

a See note on GcUba, x. 3.

* A duty (portorium) of two and a half per cent, on imports
and exports ; cf. Jul. xliii, 1.

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The Deified Vespasian*

I. The empire, which for a long time had been
unsettled and, as it were, drifting, through the
usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was
at last taken in hand and given stability by the
Flavian family. This house was, it is true, obscure
and without family portraits, yet it was one of which
our country had no reason whatever to be ashamed,
even though it is the general opinion that the
penalty which Domitian paid for his avarice and
cruelty was fully merited.

Titus Flavius Petro, a burgher of Reate and
during the civil war a centurion or a volunteer
veteran a on Pompey's side, fled from the field of
Pharsalus and went home, where after at last ob-
taining pardon and an honourable discharge, he
carried on the business of a collector of moneys.
His son, surnamed Sabinus (although some say that
he was an ex-centurion of the first grade; others
that while still in command of a cohort he was retired
because of ill-health) took no part in military life,
but farmed the public tax of a fortieth 6 in Asia.

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imagines a civitatibus ei positae sub hoc titulo :

3 KAACOC T6AC0NHCANTI. Postea faenus apud
Helvetios exercuit ibique diem obiit superstitibus
uxore Vespasia Polla et duobus ex ea liberis, quorum
maior Sabinus ad praefecturam urbis, minor Vespa-
sianus ad principatum usque processit. Polla
Nursiae honesto genere orta patrem habuit Vespa-
sium Pollionem, ter tribunum militum praefectum-
que castrorum, fratrem senatorem praetoriae
dignitatis. Locus etiam ad sextum miliarium a
Nursia Spoletium euntibus in monte summo
appellatur Vespasiae, ubi Vespasiorum complura
monumenta exstant, magnum indicium splendoris

4 familiae et vetustatis. Non negaverim iactatum a
quibusdam Petronis patrem e regione Transpadana
fuisse mancipem operarum, quae ex Umbria in
Sabinos ad culturam agrorum quotannis commeare
soleant; subsedisse autem in oppido Reatino uxore
ibidem ducta. Ipse ne vestigium quid em de hoc,
quamvis satis curiose inquirerem, inveni.

II. Vespasianus natus est in Sabinis 1 ultra Reate
vico modico, cui nomen est Falacrinae, 2 XV. Kal.
Decb. vesperi, Q. 8 Sulpicio Camerino C. Poppaeo
Sabino cons., quinquennio ante quam Augustus
excederet; educatus sub paterna avia Tertulla in
praediis Cosanis. Quare princeps quoque et locum

° A position held by tried and skilful officers, especially
centurions of the first grade {primipili ; C. I. L. iii. 6809,
etc.). Cf. Vegetius, Epit. Rei Milit. 2. 10, is post longam
probatamque militiam peritissimus omnium hgcbatur, ut recte,
doceret alios quod ipse cum laudt fecisset.

1 Sabinis, ?* ; Samnis, A.

2 Falacrinae] Phalacrinae (-ne), O.
8 ve8periq(ue), XI ; corrected in

28a

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

And there existed for some time statues erected in
his honour by the cities of Asia, inscribed "To
an honest tax-gatherer." Later he carried on a
banking business in the Helvetian country and there
he died, survived by his wife, Vespasia Polla, and by
two of her children, of whom the elder, Sabinus, rose
to the rank of prefect of Rome, and the younger,
Vespasian, even to that of emperor. Polla, who was
born of an honourable family at Nursia, had for
► father Vespasius Pollio, thrice tribune of the soldiers
and prefect of the camp, a while her brother became a
senator with the rank of praetor. There is more-
over on the top of a mountain, near the sixth mile-
stone on the road from Nursia to Spoletium, a place
called Vespasiae, where many monuments of the
Vespasii are to be seen, affording strong proof of
the renown and antiquity of the house. I ought to
add that some have bandied about the report, that
Petro's father came from the region beyond the Po
and was a contractor for the day-labourers who come
regularly every year from Umbria to the Sabine
district, to till the fields ; but that he settled in the
town of Reate and there married. Personally I have
found no evidence whatever of this, in spite of
rather careful investigation.

II. Vespasian was born in the Sabine country, in a
small village beyond Reate, called Falacrina, on the
evening of the fifteenth day before the Kalends of Nov. 17,
December, in the consulate of Quintus Sulpicius A,D "
Camerinus and Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, five years
before the death of Augustus. He was brought up
under the care of his paternal grandmother Tertulla
on her estates at Cosa. Therefore even after he
became emperor he used constantly to visit the home

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incunabulorum assidoe frequentavit, manente villa
qualis fuerat olim, ne quid scilicet oculorum consue-
tudini deperiret; et a viae memoriam tanto opere
dilexit, ut sollemnibus ac festis diebus pocillo quoque
eius argenteo potare perseveraverit.

2 Sumpta virili toga latum clavum, quanquam fratre
adepto, diu aversatus est, nec ut tandem appeteret
com pel li nisi a matre potuit. Ea demum extudit
magis convicio quam precibus vel auctoritate, dum
eum identidem per contumeliam anteambulonem
fratris appellat.

3 Tribunatu militum in Thracia meruit; quaestor
Cretam et Cyrenas provinciam sorte cepit ; aedilitatis
ac mox praeturae candidatus, illam 1 non sine repulsa
sextoque vix adeptus est loco, hanc 2 prima statim
petitione et in primis. Praetor infensum 3 senatui
Gaium ne quo non genere demereretur, ludos extra-
ordinarios pro victoria eius Germanica depojwscit
poenaeque coniuratorum addendum censuit, ut
insepulti proicerentur. Egit et gratias ei apud
amplissimum ordinem, quod se honore cenae di-
gnatus esset.

III. Inter haec Flaviam Domitillam duxit uxorem,
Statili Capellae equitis R. Sabratensis ex Africa
delicatam olim Latinaeque condicionis, sed mox

1 illam, Torrentius ; etiam, CI.

2 hanc, Bentley, Duker ; ac, n.

8 infensum, Lipsius ; infensus (-os), mss.

a The anteambvlo was the client who walked before his
patron on the street and compelled people to make way for
him ; cf. Mart. 2. 18. 5, tumidique anteambvlo regis, where
regis means " patron," as in Hor. Episi. 1. 17. 43 and else-
where. * * See Galig. xlviii. and xlix.

• Lepidus and Gaetulicus ; see Claud, ix. 1.

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of his infancy, where the manor house was kept in its
original condition, since he did not wish to miss
anything which he was wont to see there ; and he
was so devoted to his grandmother's memory, that
on religous and festival days he always drank from a
little silver cup that had belonged to her.

After assuming the garb of manhood he for a long
time made no attempt to win the broad stripe
of senator, though his brother had gained it, and
only his mother could finally induce him to sue for it.
She at length drove him to it, but rather by sarcasm
than by entreaties or parental authority, since she
constantly taunted him with being his brother's
footman.*

He served in Thrace as tribune of the soldiers ; as
quaestor was assigned by lot to the province of Crete
and Cyrene ; became a candidate for the aedileship
and then for the praetorship, attaining the former S8a.d.
only after one defeat and then barely landing in the
sixth place, but the latter on his first canvass and 39ajx
among the foremost. In his praetorship, to lose no
opportuity of winning the favour of Gaius, who was
at odds with the senate, 6 he asked for special games
because of the emperor's victory in Germany and
recommended as an additional punishment of the
conspirators 6 that they be cast out unburied. He
also thanked the emperor before that illustrious
body d because he had deigned to honour him with
an invitation to dinner.

III. Meanwhile he took to wife Flavia Domitilla,
formerly the mistress of Statilius Capella, a Roman
knight of Sabrata in Africa, a woman originally only of
Latin rank/ but afterwards declared a freeborn
* The senate. • See note on Aug. xlvii.

*8 S

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ingenuam et civem Rom. reciperatorio iudicio
pronuntiatam, patre asserente Flavio Liberate Fe-
renti genito nec quicquam amplius quam quaestorio
scriba. Ex hac liberos tulit Titum et Domitianum
et Domitillam. Uxori ac filiae superstes fuit atque
utramque adhuc privatus amisit. Post uxoris ex-
cessum Caenidem, Antoniae libertam et a manu,
dilectam quondam sibi revocavit in contubernium
habuitque etiam imperator paene iustae uxoris loco.

IV. Claudio principe Narcissi gratia legatus le-
gionis in Germaniam missus est ; inde in Britanniam
translatus tricies cum hoste conflixit. Duas validis-
simas gentes superque viginti oppida et insulam
Vectem Britanniae proximam in dicionem redegit
partim Auli Plauti legati consularis partim Claudi

2 ipsius ductu. Quare triumphalia ornamenta et in brevi
spatio duplex sacerdotium accepit, praeterea consu-
latum, quern gessit per duos novissimos anni menses.
Medium tempus ad proconsulatum usque in otio seces-
suque egit, Agrippinam timens potentem adhuc apud
filium et defuncti quoque Narcissi amici perosam.

3 Exim 1 sortitus Africam integerrime nec sine
magna dignatione administravit, nisi quod Hadru-
meti seditione quadam rapa in eum iacta sunt.
Rediit certe nihilo opulentior, ut qui prope labe-
factata iam fide omnia praedia fratri obligaret neces-
sarioque ad mangonicos quaestus sustinendae digni-

e Mango (cf. Gk. ndyyavov, "charm") was the term
applied to a dealer in slaves, cattle, or wares, to which he
tried to give an appearance of greater value than they
actually possessed. The nickname applied to Vespasian
implies that his trade was in mules.

exim, M ; the other mss. have exin.

* See Claud, xvii.

6 The Isle of Wight.

286

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

citizen of Rome in a suit before arbiters, brought by
her father Flavius Liberalis, a native of Ferentum
and merely a quaestor's clerk. By her he had three
children, Titus, Domitian, and Domitilla. He out-
lived his wife and daughter ; in fact lost them both
before he became emperor. After the death of his
wife he resumed his relations with Caenis, freed-
woman and amanuensis of Antonia, and formerly
his mistress ; and even after he became emperor he
treated her almost as a lawful wife.

IV. In the reign of Claudius he was sent in com-
mand of a legion to Germany, through the influence of
Narcissus ; from there he was transferred to Britain,*
where he fought thirty battles with the enemy.
He reduced to subjection two powerful nations,
more than twenty towns, and the island of Vectis, 6
near Britain, partly under the leadership of Aulus
Plautius, the consular governor, and partly under
that of Claudius himself. For this he received the
triumphal regalia, and shortly after two priesthoods,
besides the consulship, which he held for the last two si a.d.
months of the year. The rest of the time up to his
proconsulate he spent in rest and retirement, through
fear of Agrippina, who still had a strong influence
over her son and hated any friend of Narcissus, even
after the latter's death.

The chance of the lot then gave him Africa, 63a.d.
which he governed with great justice and high
honour, save that in a riot at Hadrumetum he was
pelted with turnips. Certain it is that he came
back none the richer, for his credit was so nearly
gone that he mortgaged all his estates to his brother,
and had to resort to trading in mules c to keep up his

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tatis causa descenderit ; propter quod vulgo mulio
vocabatur. Convictus quoque dicitur ducenta
sestertia expressisse iuveni, cui 1 latum clavum
adversus patris voluntatem impetrarat, eoque
nomine graviter increpitus.

4 Peregrinatione Achaica inter comites Neronis
cum cantante eo aut discederet saepius aut praesens
obdormisceret, gravissimam contraxit ofFensam, pro-
hibitusque non contubernio modo sed etiam publica
salutation e secessit in parvam ac deviam civitatem,
quoad latenti etiamque extrema metuenti provincia
cum exercitu oblata est.

5 Percrebruerat Oriente toto vetus et constans
opinio esse in fatis ut eo tempore Iudaea profecti
rerum potirentur. Id de imperatore Romano, quan-
tum postea eventu paruit, praedictum Iudaei ad se
trahentes rebellarunt caesoque praeposito legatum
insuper Syriae consularem suppetias ferentem rapta
aquila fugaverunt. Ad hunc motum comprimendum
cum exercitu ampliore et non instrenuo duce, cui
tamen tuto tanta res committeretur, opus esset, ipse
potissimum delectus est ut et industriae expertae
nec metuendus ullo modo ob humilitatem generis ac

6 nominis. Additis igitur ad copias duabus legionibus,
octo alis, cohortibus decern, atque inter legatos
maiore filio assumpto, ut primuni provinciam attigit,

1 cui, $- {Sdbdlicua) ; qui, fl.
a See Nero, xxii. ft * Probably of auxiliaries.

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position ; whence he was commonly known as " the
Muleteer." He is also said to have been found guilty
of squeezing two hundred thousand sesterces out of
a young man for whom he obtained the broad stripe
against his father's wish, and to have been severely
rebuked in consequence.

On the tour through Greece, among the companions
of Nero, a he bitterly offended the emperor by either
going out often while Nero was singing, or falling
asleep, if he remained. Being in consequence
banished, not only from intimacy with the emperor
but even from his public receptions, he withdrew to
a little out-of-the-way town, until a province and an
army were offered him while he was in hiding and
in fear of his life.

There had spread over all the Orient an old and
established belief, that it was fated at that time for
men coming from Judaea to rule the world. This
prediction, referring to the emperor of Rome, as after-
wards appeared from the event, the people of Judaea
took to themselves; accordingly they revolted and
after killing their governor, they routed the consular
ruler of Syria as well, when he came to the rescue,
and took one of his eagles. Since to put down this
rebellion required a considerable army with a leader
of no little enterprise, yet one t© whom so great
power could be entrusted without risk, Vespasian
was chosen for the task, both as a man of tried
energy and as one in no wise to be feared because
of the obscurity of his family and name. There-
fore there were added to the forces in Judaea two
legions with eight divisions of cavalry and ten
cohorts. 6 He took his elder son as one of his
lieutenants, and as soon as he reached his province

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proximas quoque convertit in se, corrects statim
castrorum disciplina, unoque et altero proelio tarn
constanter inito, ut in oppugnatione castelli lapidis
ictum genu scutoque sagittas aliquot exceperit.

V. Post Neronem Galbamque Othone ac Vitellio
de principatu certantibus in spem imperii venit
iam pridem sibi per haec ostenta conceptam.

2 In suburbano Flaviorum quercus antiqua, quae
erat Marti sacra, per tres Vespasiae partus singulos
repente ramos a frutice dedit, haud dubia signa
futuri cuiusque fati : primum exilem et cito arefactum,
ideoque puella nata non perannavit, secundum
praevalidum ac prolixum et qui magnam felicitatem
portenderet, tertium vero instar arboris. Quare
patrem Sabinum ferunt, haruspieio insuper confir-
matum, renuntiasse matri, nepotem ei Caesarem gen-
itum ; nec illam quicquam aliud quam cachinnasse,
mirantem quod adhuc se mentis compote deliraret
iam films suus.

3 Mox, cum aedilem eum C. Caesar, succensens
curam verrendis viis non adhibitam, luto iussisset op-
pi eri congesto per milites in praetextae sinum,
non defuerunt qui interpretarentur, quandoque pro-
culcatam desertamque rem p. civili aliqua perturba-
tione in tutelam eius ac velut in gremium deven-
turam.

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he attracted the attention of the neighbouring
provinces also ; for he at once reformed the disci-
pline of the army and fought one or two battles
with such daring, that in the storming of a fortress
he was wounded in the knee with a stone and
received several arrows in his shield.

V. While Otho and Vitellius were fighting for the
throne after the death of Nero and Galba, he began
to cherish the hope of imperial dignity, which he
had long since conceived because of the following
portents.

On the suburban estate of the Flavii an old oak
tree, which was sacred to Mars, on each of the three
occasions when Vespasia was delivered suddenly put
forth a branch from its trunk, obvious indications of
the destiny of each child. The first was slender and
quickly withered, and so too the girl that was born
died within the year ; the second was very strong
and long and portended great success, but the third
was the image of a tree. Therefore their father
Sabinus, so they say, being further encouraged by an
inspection of victims, announced to his mother that
a grandson had been born to her who would be a
Caesar. But she only laughed, marvelling that her
son should already be in his dotage, while she was
still of strong mind.

Later, when Vespasian was aedile, Gaius Caesar,
incensed at his neglect of his duty of cleaning the
streets, orctered that he be covered with mud, which
the soldiers accordingly heaped into the bosom of
his purple-bordered toga; this some interpreted as
an omen that one day in some civil commotion his
country, trampled under foot and forsaken, would come
under his protection and as it were into his embrace.

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4 Prandente eo quondam canis extrarius e trivio
manum humanam intulit mensaeque subiecit. Ce*
nante rursus bos arator decusso iugo triclinium irrupit
ac fugatis ministris quasi repente defessus procidit
ad ipsos accumbentis pedes cervicemque summisit.
Arbor quoque cupressus in agro avito sine ulla vi
tempestatis evulsa radicitus atque prostrata inse-
quenti die viridior ac firmior resurrexit.

5 At in Achaia somniavit initium sibi suisque
felicitatis futurum, simul ac dens Neroni exemptus
esset ; evenitque ut sequenti die progressus in atrium
medicus dentem ei ostenderet tantumque quod
exemptum.

6 Apud Iudaeam Carmeli dei oraculum consulentem
ita confirmavere sortes, ut quidquid cogitaret volve-
retque animo quamlibet magnum, id esse proventu-
rum pollicerentur ; et unus ex nobilibus captivis
Iosephus, cum coiceretur in vincula, constantissime
asseveravit fore ut ab eodem brevi solveretur, verum

7 iam imperatore. Nuntiabantur et ex urbe praesagia :
Neronem diebus ultimis monitum per quietem, ut
tensam Iovis Optimi Maximi e sacrario in domum
Vespasiani et inde in Circum deduceret ; ac non
multo post comitia secundi consulatus ineunte Galba
statu am Divi Iuli ad Orientem sponte conversam,

a The hand was typical of power, and mantis is often used
in the sense of potesias. * Of Nero's lodging.

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Once when he was taking breakfast, a stray dog
brought in a human hand from the cross-roads and
dropped it under the table.* Again, when he was
dining, an ox that was ploughing shook off its yoke,
burst into the dining-room, and after scattering the
servants, fell at the very feet of Vespasian as he
reclined at table, and bowed its neck as if suddenly
tired out. A cypress tree, also, on his grandfather's
farm was torn up by the roots, without the agency
of any violent storm, and thrown down, and on the
following day rose again greener and stronger than
before.

He dreamed in Greece that the beginning of good
fortune for himself and his family would come as
soon as Nero had a tooth extracted ; and on the
next day it came to pass that a physician walked into
the hall 6 and showed him a tooth which he had
just then taken out.

When he consulted the oracle of the god of
Carmel in Judaea, the lots were highly encouraging,
promising that whatever he planned or wished,
however great it might be, would come to pass ;
and one of his high-born prisoners, Josephus by
name, as he was being put in chains, declared most
confidently that he would soon be released by the
same man, who would then, however, be emperor.
Omens were also reported from Rome : Nero in his
latter days was admonished in a dream to take the
sacred chariot of Jupiter Optimus Maximus from its
shrine to the house of Vespasian and from there to
the Circus. Not long after this, too, when Galba
was on his way to the elections which gave him his
second consulship, a statue of the Deified Julius of
its own accord turned towards the East ; and on the

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acieque Betriacensi, prius quam committeretur, duas
aquilas in conspectu omnium conflixisse victaque
altera supervenisse tertiam ab solis exortu ac
victricem abegisse.

VI. Nec tamen quicquam ante temptavit, prom-
ptissimis atque etiam instantibus suis, quam sollicita-
tus quorundam et ignotorum et absentium fortuito
favore.

2 Moesiaci exercitus bina e tribus legionibus milia
missa auxilio Othoni, postquam ingressis iter nuntia-
tum est victum eum ac vim vitae suae attulisse,
nihilo setius Aquileiam usque perseveraverunt, quasi
rumori minus crederent. Ibi per occasionem ac
licentiam omni rapinarum genere grassati, cum
timerent ne sibi reversis reddenda ratio ac subeunda
poena esset, consilium inierunt eligendi creandique
imperatoris ; neque enim deteriores esse aut Hi-
spaniensi exercitu qui Galbam, aut praetoriano qui
Othonem, aut Germaniciano qui Vitellium fecissent.

3 Propositis itaque nominibus legatorum consularium,
quot ubique tunc erant, cum ceteros alium alia
de causa improbarent et quidam e legione tertia,
quae sub exitu Neronis translata ex Syria in Moesiam
fuerat, Vespasianum laudibus ferrent, assensere
cuncti nomenque eius vexillis omnibus sine mora
inscripserunt. Et tunc quidem compressa res est
revocatis ad officium numeris parumper. Ceterum
divulgato facto Tiberius Alexander praefectus

«94

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

field of Betriacum, before the battle began, two
eagles fought in the sight of all, and when one was
vanquished, a third came from the direction of the
rising sun and drove off the victor.

VI. Yet he made no move, although his followers
were quite ready and even urgent, until he was
roused to it by the accidental support of men
unknown to him and at a distance. Two thousand
soldiers of the three legions that made up the army
in Moesia had been sent to help Otho. When word
came to them after they had begun their march
that he had been defeated and had taken his own
life, they none the less kept on as far as Aquileia,
because they did not believe the report. There,
taking advantage of the lawless state of the times,
they indulged in every kind of pillage ; then,
fearing that if they went back, they would have to
give an account and suffer punishment, they took it
into their heads to select and appoint an emperor,
saying that they were just as good as the Spanish
army which had appointed Galba, or the praetorian
guard which had elected Otho, or the German army
which had chosen Vitellius. Accordingly the names
of all the consular governors who were serving any-
where were taken up, and since objection was made
to the rest for one reason or another, while some
members of the third legion, which had been trans-
ferred from Syria to Moesia just before the death of
Nero,highly commended Vespasian, they unanimously
agreed on him and forthwith inscribed his name on
all their banners. At the time, however, the move-
ment was checked and the soldiers recalled to their
allegiance for a season. But when their action
became known, Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt,

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Aegypti primus in verba Vespasiani legiones adegit
Kal. Iul., qui principatus dies in posterum observatus
est; Iudaicus deinde exercitus V. Idus Iul. apud
ipsum iuravit.

4 Plurimum coeptis contulerunt iactatum exemplar
epistulae verae sive falsae defuncti Othonis ad
Vespasianum extrema obtestatione ultionem man-
dantis et ut rei p. subveniret optantis, simul rumor
dissipatus destinasse victorem Vitellium permutare
hiberna legionum et Germanicas transferre in
Orientem ad securiorem mollioremque militiam,
praeterea ex praesidibus provinciarum Licinius
Mucianus et e regibus Vologaesus Parthus ; ille de-
posits simultate, quam in id tempus ex aemulatione
non obscure gerebat, Syriacum promisit exercitum,
hie quadraginta milia sagittariorum.

VII. Suscepto igitur civili bello ac ducibus copiis-
que in Italiam praemissis interim Alexandriam trans-
iit, ut claustra Aegypti optineret. Hie cum de firmi-
tate imperii capturus auspicium aedem Serapidis sum-
motis omnibus solus intrasset ac propitiato multum
deo tandem se convertisset, verbenas coronasque et
panificia, ut illic assolet, Basilides libertus obtulisse
ei visus est ; quem neque admissum a quoquam et
iam pridem propter nervorum valitudinem vix

a July 11 ; according to Tac. Hist. 2. 79, it was the fifth
day before the Nones, July 3.

6 Governor of the neighbouring province of Syria.

c The strategic importance of Egypt is shown by Tac.
Ann. 2. 59 ; cf. Jul. xxxv. 1 (at the end) ; Aug. xviii. 2.

* The freedman's name, connected with Greek Ba<nXci>s,
"king," was an additional omen.

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was the first to compel his legions to take the
oath for Vespasian on the Kalends of July, the
day which was afterwards celebrated as that of his
accession ; then the army in Judaea swore allegiance
to him personally on the fifth day before the Ides of
July*

The enterprise was greatly forwarded by the
circulation of a copy of a letter of the late emperor
Otho to Vespasian, whether genuine or forged,
urging him with the utmost earnestness to ven-
geance and expressing the hope that he would come
to the aid of his country; further, by a rumour
which spread abroad that Vitellius had planned, after
his victory, to change the winter quarters of
the legions and to transfer those in Germany to
the Orient, to a safer and milder service ; and finally,
among the governors of provinces, by the support
of Licinius Mucianus, 6 and among the kings, by that
of Vologaesus, the Parthian. The former, laying
aside the hostility with which up to that time
jealousy had obviously inspired him, promised the
Syrian army ; and the latter forty thousand bowmen.

VII. Therefore beginning a civil war and sending
ahead generals with troops to Italy, he crossed
meanwhile to Alexandria, to take possession of the
key to Egypt. There he dismissed all his atten-
dants and entered the temple of Serapis alone, to
consult the auspices as to the duration of his power.
And when after many propitiatory offerings to the
god he at length turned about, it seemed to him
that his freedman Basilides rf offered him sacred
boughs, garlands and loaves, as is the custom
there ; and yet he knew well that no one had
let him in, and that for some time he had been

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ingredi longeque abesse constabat. Ac statim ad-
venere litterae fusas apud Cremonam Vitelli copias,
ipsum in urbe interemptum nuntiantes.

2 Auctoritas et quasi maiestas quaedam ut scilicet
inopinato et adhuc novo principi deerat; haec
quoque accessit. E plebe quidam luminibus orbatus,
item alius debili crure sedentem pro tribunali pariter
adierunt orantes opem valitudini demonstratam a
Serapide per quietem : restituturum oculos, si
inspuisset; connrmaturum eras, si dignaretur calce

3 contingere. Cum vix fides esset ullo modo rem
successuram ideoque ne experiri quidem auderet,
extremo hortantibus amicis palam pro contione
utrumque temptavit ; nec eventus defuit. Per idem
tempus Tegeae in Arcadia instinctu vaticinantium
effossa sunt sacrato loco vasa operis antiqui atque in
lis assimilis Vespasiano imago.

VIII. Talis tantaque cum fama in urbem reversus
acto de Iudaeis triumpho consulatus octo veteri
addidit ; suscepit et censuram ac per totum imperii
tempus nihil habuit antiquius quam prope afflictam
nutantemque rem p. stabilire primo, deinde et
ornare.

2 Milites pars victoriae fiducia, pars ignominiae
dolore ad omnem licentiam audaciamque processe-
298

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

hardly able to walk by reason of rheumatism, and
was besides far away. And immediately letters came
with the news that Vitellius had been routed at
Cremona and the emperor himself slain at Rome.

Vespasian as yet lacked prestige and a certain
divinity, so to speak, since he was an unexpected
and still new-made emperor; but these also were
given him. A man of the people who was blind,
and another who was lame, came to him together
as he sat on the tribunal, begging for the help for
their disorders which Serapis had promised in a
dream; for the god declared that Vespasian would
restore the eyes, if he would spit upon them, and
give strength to the leg, if he would deign to touch
it with his heel. Though he had hardly any faith
that this could possibly succeed, and therefore shrank
even from making the attempt, he was at last
prevailed upon by his friends and tried both things
in public before a large crowd ; and with success.
At this same time, by the direction of certain
soothsayers, some vases of antique workmanship
were dug up in a consecrated spot at Tegea in
Arcadia and on them was an image very like Vespa-
sian.

VIII. Returning to Rome under such auspices and
attended by so great renown, after celebrating a
triumph over the Jews, he added eight consulships 70, 71, 72,
to his former one ; he also assumed the censorship 77; 79 A 7 .d.
and during the whole period of his rule he considered
nothing more essential than first to strengthen the
State, which was tottering and almost overthrown,
and then to embellish it as well.

The soldiery, some emboldened by their victory
and some resenting their humiliating defeat, had

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rant ; sed et provinciae civitatesque liberae, nec non
et regna quaedam tumultuosius inter se agebant.
Quare Vitellianorum quidem et exauctoravit plurimos
et coercuit, participibus autem victoriae adeo nihil
extra ordinem indulsit, ut etiara legitima praemia

3 sero persolverit. Ac ne quam occasionem corrigendi
disciplinam praetermitteret, adulescentulum fragran-
tern unguento, cum sibi pro impetrata praefectura
gratias ageret, nutu aspernatus, voce etiam gravis-
sima increpuit : "Maluissem alium oboluisses," litter-
asque revocavit. Classiarios vero, qui ab Ostia et
Puteolis Romam pedibus per vices commeant,
petentes constitui aliquid sibi calciarii nomine,
quasi parum esset sine responso abegisse, iussit
posthac excalciatos cursitare ; et ex eo ita cursitant.

4 Achaiam, Lyciam, Rhodum, Byzantium, Samum
libertate adempta, item Trachiam 1 Ciliciam et
Commagenen dicionis regiae usque ad id tempus,
in provinciarum formam redegit. Cappadociae
propter adsiduos barbarorum incursus legiones
addidit consularemque rectorem imposuit pro eq. R.

5 Deformis urbs veteribus incendiis ac minis erat ;
vacuas areas occupare et aedificare, si possessores
cessarent, cuicumque permisit. Ipse restitutionem
Capitolii adgressus ruderilus purgandis manus
primus admovit ac suo collo quaedam extulit;
aerearumque tabularum tria milia, quae simul

a They were stationed at Ostia and Puteoli as a fire
brigade (see Claud, xxv. 2), and the various divisions were
on duty now in one town, now in the other, and again in
Rome.

6 Literally, "on his own neck" ; in a basket.

1 Trachiam, Bentley (n) ; Thraciam, CI.

300

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

abandoned themselves to every form of licence and
recklessness ; the provinces, too, and the free cities,
as well as some of the kingdoms, were in a state of
internal dissension. Therefore he discharged many
of the soldiers of Vitellius and punished many ; but
so far from showing any special indulgence to those,
who had shared in his victory, he was even tardy in
paying them their lawful rewards. To let slip no
opportunity of improving military discipline, when a
young man reeking with perfumes came to thank
him for a commission which had been given him,
Vespasian drew back his head in disgust, adding the
stern reprimand : " I would rather you had smelt of
garlic " ; and he revoked the appointment. When
the marines who march on foot by turns from Ostia
and Puteoli to Rome,* asked that an allowance be
made them under the head of shoe money, not con-
tent with sending them away without a reply, he
ordered that in future they should make the run
barefooted ; and they have done so ever since.

He made provinces of Achaia, Lycia, Rhodes,
Byzantium and Samos, taking away their freedom,
and likewise of Trachian Cilicia and Commagene,
which up to that time had been ruled by kings. He
sent additional legions to Cappadocia because of the
constant inroads of the barbarians, and gave it a
consular governor in place of a Roman knight.

As the city was unsightly from former fires and
fallen buildings, he allowed anyone to take possession
of vacant sites and build upon them, in case the
owners failed to do so. He began the restoration of
the Capitol in person, was the first to lend a hand
in clearing away the debris, and carried some of it
off on his own head. 6 He undertook to restore the

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conflagraverant, restituenda suscepit undique in-
vestigates exemplaribus : instrumentum imperii
pulcherrimum ac vetustissimum, quo continebantur
paene ab exordio urbis senatus consul ta, plebi scita
de societate et foedere ac privilegio cuicumque
concessis.

IX. Fecit et nova opera templum Pacis Foro
proximum Divique Claudi in Caelio monte coeptum
quidem ab Agrippina, sed a Nerone prope funditus
destructum ; item amphitheatrum urbe media, ut
destinasse compererat Augustum.

2 Amplissimos ordines et exhaustos caede varia et
contaminatos veteri neglegentia purgavit supplevitque
recenso senatu et equite, summotis indignissimis et
honestissimo quoque Italicorum ac provineialium
allecto. Atque uti notum esset, utrumque ordinem
non tarn libertate inter se quam dignitate differre,
de iurgio quodam senatoris equitisque R. ita pro-
nuntiavit, non oportere maledici senatoribus, remale-
dici civile fasque esse.

X. Litium series ubique maiorem in modum
excreverant, manentibus antiquis intercapedine iuris
dictionis, accedentibus novis ex condicione tumultu-
que temporum ; sorte elegit per quos rapta bello
restituerentur quique iudicia centumviralia, quibus

a The Colosseum, known as the Flavian amphitheatre
until the Middle Ages.

6 That is, a citizen could return the abuse of another
citizen, regardless of their respective ranks.

e During the civil wars. d See note on Aug. xxxvi.

302

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

three thousand bronze tablets which were destroyed
with the temple, making a thorough search for
copies: priceless and most ancient records of the
empire, containing the decrees of the senate and the
acts of the commons almost from the foundation of
the city, regarding alliances, treaties, and special
privileges granted to individuals.

IX. He also undertook new works, the temple of
Peace hard by the Forum and one to the Deified
Claudius on the Caelian mount, which was begun by
Agrippina, but almost utterly destroyed by Nero;
also an amphitheatre* in the heart of the city, a plan
which he learned that Augustus had cherished.

He reformed the two great orders, reduced by a
series of murders and sullied by long standing neglect,
and added to their numbers, holding a review of the
senate and the knights, expelling those who least
deserved the honour and enrolling the most dis-
tinguished of the Italians and provincials. Further-
more, to let it be known that the two orders differed
from each other not so much in their privileges as in
their rank, in the case of an altercation between a
senator and a Roman knight, he rendered this
decision : " Unseemly language should not be used
towards senators, but to return their insults in kind
is proper and lawful." b

X. Lawsuit upon lawsuit had accumulated in all
the courts to an excessive degree, since those of long
standing were left unsettled though the interruption
of court business c and new ones had arisen through
the disorder of the times. He therefore chose com-
missioners by lot to restore what had been seized in
time of war, and to make special decisions in the
court of the Hundred/ reducing the cases to the

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peragendis vix suffectura litigatorum videbatur aetas,
extra ordinem diiudicarent redigerentque ad brevissi-
mum numerum.

XI. Libido atque luxuria coercente nullo in-
valuerat ; auctor senatui fuit decernendi, ut quae se
alieno servo iunxisset, ancilla haberetur ; neve
filiorum familiarum faeneratoribus exigendi crediti
ius umquam esset, hoc est ne post patrum quidem
mortem.

XII. Ceteris in rebus statim ab initio principatus
usque ad exitum civilis et clemens, mediocritatem
pristinam neque dissimulavit umquam ac frequenter
etiam prae se tulit. Quin et conantis quosdam
originem Flavii generis ad conditores Reatinos
comitemque Herculis, cuius monimentum exstat
Salaria via, referre irrisit ultro. Adeoque nihil
ornamentorum extrinsecus cupide appetivit, ut
triumphi die fatigatus tarditate et taedio pompae
non reticuerit, merito se plecti, qui triumphum,
quasi aut debitum maioribus suis aut speratum
umquam sibi, tarn inepte senex concupisset. Ac
ne tribuniciam quidem potestatem statim nec 1
patris patriae appellationem nisi sero recepit. Nam
eonsuetudinem scrutandi salutantes manente adhuc
bello civili omiserat.

XIII. Amicorum libertatem, causidicorum figuras

1 statim nec, supplied by Biicheler ; aut, Roth ; statim, O.
Hirschfdd.

a In the legal sense ; filii Jamiliaru?n were sons who were
still under the control of their fathers, regardless of their
age ; cf. Tib. xv. 2.

b His tribunician power was reckoned from July 1, 69, the

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smallest possible number, since it was clear that
the lifetime of the litigants would not suffice for the
regular proceedings.

XI. Licentiousness and extravagance had flourished
without restraint; hence he induced the senate to
vote that any woman who formed a connection with
the slave of another person should herself be treated
as a bond-woman ; also that those who lend money
to minors a should never have a legal right to enforce
payment, that is to say, not even after the death of
the fathers.

XII. In other matters he was unassuming and
lenient from the very beginning of his reign until
its end, never trying to conceal his former lowly
condition, but often even parading it. Indeed,
when certain men tried to trace the origin of the
Flavian family to the founders of Reate and a
companion of Hercules whose tomb still stands on
the Via Salaria, he laughed at them for their pains.
So far was he from a desire for pomp and show, that
on the day of his triumph, exhausted by the slow and
tiresome procession, he did not hesitate to say : " It
serves me right for being such a fool as to want a
triumph in my old age, as if it were due to my ancestors
or had ever been among my own ambitions/' He
did not even assume the tribunician power at once
nor the title of Father of his Country until late. 6 As
for the custom of searching those who came to pay
their morning calls, 6 he gave that up before the civil
war was over.

XIII. He bore the frank language of his friends,

day when he was proclaimed emperor by the army. The
meaning of the sentence is not clear.
c See Claud, xxxv.

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ac philosophorum contumaciam lenissime tulit.
Licinium Mucianum notae impudicitiae, sed meri-
torum fiducia minus sui reverentem, numquam nisi
clam et hactenus retaxare sustinuit, ut apud
communem aliquem amicum querens adderet clau-
sulam 1 : " Ego tamen vir sum." Salvium Liberalem
in defensione divitis rei ausum dicere : " Quid ad
Caesarem, si Hipparchus sestertium milies habet?"
et ipse laudavit. Demetrium Cynicum in itinere
obvium sibi post damnationem ac neque assurgere
neque salutare se dignantem, oblatrantem etiam
nescio quid, satis habuit canem appellare.

XIV. Offensarum inimicitiarumque minime memor
exsecutorve Vitelli hostis sui filiam splendidissime
maritavit, dotavit etiam et instruxit. Trepidum s
eum interdicta aula sub Nerone quaerentemque,
quidnam ageret aut quo abiret, quidam ex officio
admissionis simul expellens abire Morboviam iusserat.
In hunc postea deprecantem non ultra verba ex-
canduit, et quidem totidem fere atque eadem. Nam
ut suspicione aliqua vel metu ad perniciem cuiusquam
compelleretur tantum afuit, ut monentibus amicis
cavendum esse Mettium Pompusianum, quod volgo
crederetur genesim habere imperatoriam, insuper
consulem fecerit, spondens quandoque beneficii
memorem futurum.

XV. Non temere quis punitus insons reperietur 2

1 clausulam, Duker ; clausulae, A.

8 reperietur, $- {Scriverius, ScUmcurius) ; reperiretur, fl.

a See chap. vi. 4. He boasted that the rulo had been at
his disposal and that he had given it to Vespasian ; see Tac.
Hist. 4. 4.

6 Implying that Mucianus was effeminate and unchaste.
C A made-up name from morbus, "illness"; the ex-
pression is equivalent to " go to the devil."

306

THE DEIFIED VfiSPASIAtf

the quips of pleaders, and the impudence of the
philosophers with the greatest patience. Though
Licinius Mucianus, a a man of notorious unchastity,
presumed upon his services to treat Vespasian with
scant respect, he never had the heart to criticise him
except privately and then only to the extent of
adding to a complaint made to a common friend, the
significant words : " I at least am a man." 6 When
Salvius Liberalis ventured to say while defending
a rich client, "What is it to Caesar if Hipparchus
has a hundred millions," he personally commended
him. When the Cynic Demetrius met him abroad
after being condemned to banishment, and without
deigning to rise in his presence or to salute him,
even snarled out some insult, he merely called him
" cur/'

XIV. He was not inclined to remember or to avenge
affronts or enmities, but made a brilliant match for
the daughter of his enemy Vitellius, and even pro-
vided her with a dowry and a house-keeping outfit.
When he was in terror at being forbidden Nero's
court, and asked what on earth he was to do or where
he was to go, one of the ushers put him out and told
him to "go to Morbovia c " ; but when the man later
begged for forgiveness, Vespasian confined his resent-
ment to words, and those of about the same number
and purport. Indeed, so far was he from being led
by any suspicion or fear to cause anyone's death, that
when his friends warned him that he must keep an
eye on Mettius Pompusianus, since it was commonly
believed that he had an imperial horoscope, he even
made him consul, guaranteeing that he would one
day be mindful of the favour.

XV. It cannot readily be shown that any innocent

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nisi absente eo et ignaro aut certe invito atque
decepto. Helvidio Prisco, qui et reversum se ex
Syria solus privato nomine Vespasianum salutaverat
et in praetura omnibus edictis sine honore ac
mentione ulla transmiserat, non ante succensuit
quam altercationibus insolentissimis paene in
ordinem redactus. Hunc quoque, quamvis relegatum
primo, deinde et interfici iussum, magni aestimavit
servare quoquo modo, missis qui percussores revo-
carent; etservasset, nisi iam perisse falso renuntiatum
esset. Ceterum neque caede cuiusquam umquam
laetatus 1 iustis suppliciis inlacrimavit etiam et
ingemuit.

XVI. Sola est, in qua merito culpetur, pecuniae
cupiditas. Non enim contentus omissa sub Galba
vectigalia revocasse, nova et gravia addidisse, auxisse
tributa provinciis, nonnullis et dgplicasse, negotia-
tiones quoque vel privato pudendas propalam
exercuit, coemendo quaedam tantum ut pluris
2 postea distraheret. Ne candidatis quidem honores
reisve tarn innoxiis quam nocentibus absolutiones
venditare cunctatus est. Creditur etiam procura-
torum rapacissimum quemque ad ampliora officia ex
industria solitus promovere, quo locupletiores mox
condemnaret; quibus quidem volgo pro spongiis

a That is, in their superscriptions ; see note on THj. xxxii. 2.

6 Cogere {redigere) in ordinem is used of one who resists or
does not show proper respect to a magistrate ; that is,
attempts to reduce him to the level of an ordinary citizen.
It seems to have been originally a military expression. Cf.
Claud, xxxviii. 1 ; Pliny, Eptit. 1. 23. 1 ; Iivy, 3. 51. 13.

laetatus, $- ; omitted by the earlier m88.

30S

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

person was punished save in Vespasian's absence and
without his knowledge, or at any rate against his will
and by misleading him. Although Helvidius Priscus
was the only one who greeted him on his return
from Syria by his private name of "Vespasian/'
and moreover in his praetorship left the emperor
unhonoured and unmentioned in all his edicts, a he did
not show anger until by the extravagance of his
railing Helvidius had all but degraded him. 6 But
even in his case, though he did banish him and later
order his death, he was most anxious for any means
of saving him, and sent messengers to recall those
who were to slay him ; and he would have saved him,
but for a false report that Helvidius had already been
done to death. Certainly he never took pleasure in
the death of anyone, but even wept and sighed over
those who suffered merited punishment.

XVI. The only thing for which he can fairly be
censured was his love of money. For not content
with reviving the imposts which had been repealed
under Galba, he added new and heavy burdens,
increasing the amount of tribute paid by the pro-
vinces, in some cases actually doubling it, and quite
openly carrying on traffic which would be shameful
even for a man in private life ; for he would buy
up certain commodities merely in order to distribute
them at a profit. He made no bones of selling ;
offices to candidates and acquittals to men under
prosecution, whether innocent or guilty. He is even
believed to have had the habit of designedly advanc-
ing the most rapacious of his procurators to higher
posts, that they might be the richer when he later
condemned them ; in fact, it was common talk that
he used these men as sponges, because he, so to

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dicebatur uti, quod quasi et siccos madefaceret et
exprimeret umentis.
3 Quidam natura cupidissimum tradunt, idque ex-
probratum ei a sene bubulco, qui negata sibi
gratuita libertate, 1 quam imperium adeptum 2
suppliciter orabat, proclamaverit, vurpem pilum
mutare, non mores. Sunt contra qui opinentur ad
manubias et rapinas necessitate compulsum summa
aerarii fiscique inopia, de qua testificatus sit initio
statim principatus, professus quadringenties milies
opus esse, ut res p. stare posset. Quod et veri
similius videtur, quando et male partis optime usus
est.

XVII. In omne hominum genus liberalissimus
explevit censum senatorium, consulares inopes
quingenis sestertiis annuis sustentavit, plurimas per
totum orbem civitates terrae motu aut incendio
afflictas restituit in melius, ingenia et artes vel
maxime fovit.

XVIII. Primus e fisco Latinis Graecisque rhe-
toribus annua centena constituit ; praestantis poetas,
nec non et artifices, Coae Veneris, 3 item Colossi
refectorem insigni congiario magnaque mercede
donavit ; mechanico quoque grandis columnas exigua
impensa perducturum in Capitolium pollicenti

1 negata . . . gratuita libertate, Tl l QST \ the other mss.
have negatam . . . gratuitam libertatem.

2 adeptum, S 2 ^ ; ademptum, ft.

3 Coae Veneris, GraevUis ; coevenerit, MGT ; coemerit,
LPS 1 ; coemit, S 2 T.

° This had been increased to 1,200,000 sesterces by
Augustus. 6 See note on Aug. xli. 2.

c Doubtless referring to the statue of Venus consecrated
by Vespasian in his temple of Peace, the sculptor of which,

310

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

speak, soaked them when they were dry and squeezed
them when they were wet.

Some say that he was naturally covetous and was
taunted with it by an old herdsman of his, who on
being forced to pay for the freedom for which he
earnestly begged Vespasian when he became em-
peror, cried : " The fox changes his fur, but not his
nature." Others on the contrary believe that he
was driven by necessity to raise money by spoliation
and robbery because of the desperate state of the
treasury and the privy purse ; to which he bore wit-
ness at the very beginning of his reign by declaring
that forty thousand millions were needed to set
the State upright. This latter view seems the more
probable, since he made the best use of his gains,
ill-gotten though they were.

XVII. He was most generous to all classes, mak-
ing up the requisite estate* for senators, giving
needy ex-consuls an annual stipend of five hundred
thousand sesterces, restoring to a better condition
many cities throughout the empire which had
suffered from earthquakes or fires, and in particular
encouraging men of talent and the arts.

XVIII. He was the first to establish a regular
salary of a hundred thousand sesterces for Latin
and Greek teachers of rhetoric, paid from the privy
purse. He also presented eminent poets with princely
largess b and great rewards, and artists, too, such as
the restorer of the Venus of Cos e and of the
Colossus. d To a mechanical engineer, who pro-
mised to transport some heavy columns to the

according to Pliny, was unknown. The Vonus of Cos was
the work of Praxiteles.
* The colossal statue of Nero ; see Nero, xxxi, 1.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

praemium pro commento non mediocre optulit,
operam remisit praefatus sineret se plebiculam
pascere.

XIX. Ludis, per quos scaena Marcelliani theatri
restituta dedicabatur, vetera quoque acroamata
revocaverat. Apellae 1 tragoedo quadringenta,
Terpno Diodoroque citharoedis ducena, nonnullis
centena, quibus minimum, quadragena sestertia
super plurimas coronas aureas dedit. Sed et
convivabatur assidue ac saepius recta et dapsile,
ut macellarios adiuvaret. Dabat sicut Saturnalibus
viris apophoreta, ita per Kal. Mart, feminis. Et
tamen ne sic quidem pristina cupiditatis infamia

2 caruit. Alexandrini Cybiosacten 2 eum vocare
perseveraverunt, cognomine unius e regibus suis
turpissimarum sordium. Sed et in funere Favor
archimimus personam eius ferens imitansque, ut
est mos, facta ac dicta vivi, interrogans palam
procuratoribus, quanti funus et pompa constaret,
ut audit sestertium centiens, exclamavit, centum
sibi sestertia darent ac se vel in Tiberim proicerent.

XX. Statura fuit quadrata, compactis firmisque
membris, vultu veluti nitentis ; de quo quidam
urbanorum non infacete, siquidem petenti, ut et in
se aliquid dicer et : "Dicam," inquit, "cum ventrem

1 Apellae, Buchder ; Apellari, mss. (apelli, p?).

2 Cybiosacten, Torrenttua from Strabo, 17. 796; cybio-
tanten, fl.

° See Aug. lxxiv. and the note.
6 See note d on Calig. lv. 2.

c The Matronalia or feast of married women ; see Hor.
Odes, 3. 8, 1.

d A transliterated Greek word, Kv$to(rdKrrjs t meaning
" dealer in square pieces (ictfioi) of salt fish."

3*3

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THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

Capitol at small expense* he gave no mean reward
for his invention, but refused to make use of it,
saying : " You must let me feed my poor commons."

XIX. At the plays with which he dedicated the
new stage of the theatre of Marcellus he revived
the old musical entertainments. To Apelles, the
tragic actor, he gave four hundred thousand sesterces ;
to Terpnus and Diodorus, the lyre-players, two hun-
dred thousand each ; to several a hundred thousand ;
while those who received least were paid forty
thousand, and numerous golden crowns were awarded
besides. He gave constant dinner-parties, too, usually
formally* and sumptuously, to help the marketmen.
He gave gifts 6 to women on the Kalends of March,
as he did to the men on the Saturnalia.

Yet even so he could not be rid of his former ill-
repute for covetousness. The Alexandrians per-
sisted in calling him Cybiosactes, d the surname of
one of their kings who was scandalously stingy.
Even at his funeral, Favor, a leading actor of mimes,
who wore his mask and, according to the usual custom,
imitated the actions and words of the deceased dur-
ing his lifetime, having asked the procurators in a
loud voice how much his funeral procession would
cost, and hearing the reply " Ten million sesterces,"
cried out : " Give me a hundred thousand and fling
me even into the Tiber."

XX. He was well built, e with strong, sturdy
limbs, and the expression of one who was straining.
Apropos of which a witty fellow, when Vespasian
asked him to make a joke on him also, replied
rather cleverly : " I will, when you have finished

• According to Celsus, 2. 1, quadratum is applied to a
well-proportioned body, neither slender nor fat.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

exonerare desieris." Valitudine prosperrima usus
est, quamvis ad tuendam earn nihil amplius quam
fauces ceteraque membra sibimet ad numerum in
sphaeristerio defricaret inediamque unius diei per
singulos menses interponeret.

XXI. Ordinem vitae hunc fere tenuit. In
principatu maturius semper ac de nocte vigilabat;
dein perlectis epistulis officiorumque omnium
breviariis, amicos admittebat, ac dum salutabatur,
et calciabat ipse se et amiciebat; postque decisa
quaecumque obvenissent negotia gestationi et inde
quieti vacabat, accubante aliqua pallacarum, quas in
locum defunctae Caenidis 1 plurimas constituerat ; a
secreto in balineum tricliniumque transibat. Nec
ullo tempore facilior aut indulgentior traditur, eaque
momenta domestici ad aliquid petendum magno
opere captabant.

XXII. Et super cenam autem et semper alias
comissimus multa ioco transigebat ; erat enim
dicacitatis plurimae, etsi scuri'ilis et sordidae, ut ne
praetextatis quid em verbis abstineret. Et tamen
nonnulla eius facetissima exstant, in quibus et haec.
Mestrium Florum consularem, admonitus ab eo
"plaustra" potius quam " plostra " dicenda, postero
die " Flaurum " salutavit. Expugnatus autem a
quadam, quasi amore suo deperiret, cum perductae
pro concubitu sestertia quadringenta donasset, ad-

1 Caenidis, Q ; Cenidis, TlS 2 ; the other mss. have G(a)enidis.

a Cf. Macrobius, Saturn. 2. 1. 9, impudica et praetextata
verba ; Gell. N.A. 9. 10. 4, non praetextatis sed puris hones-
Usque verbis. Various explanations of the term are given.
It perhaps means words such as boys use ; but see Festus,
s.v. praetextum sermonem.

* Plaustra was the urban form of the word for " wagons,"

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

relieving yourself." He enjoyed excellent health,
though he did nothing to keep it up except to rub
his throat and the other parts of his body a certain
number of times in the tennis court, and to fast one
day in every month.

XXI. This was in general his manner of life.
While emperor, he always rose very early, in fact
before daylight ; then after reading his letters and
the reports of all the officials, he admitted his friends,
and while he was receiving their greetings, he put
on his own shoes and dressed himself. After des-
patching any business that came up, he took time for
a drive and then for a nap, lying with one of his
concubines, of whom he had taken several after the
death of Caenis. After his siesta he went to the
bath and the dining-room ; and it is said that at no
time was he more good-natured or indulgent, so that
the members of his household eagerly watched for
these opportunities of making requests.

XXII. Not only at dinner but on all other occasions
he was most affable, and he turned off many mat-
ters with a jest ; for he was very ready with sharp
sayings, albeit of a low and buffoonish kind, so that
he did not even refrain from obscene expressions.*
Yet many of his remarks are still remembered which
are full of fine wit, and among them the following.
When an ex-consul called Mestrius Florus called his
attention to the fact that the proper pronunciation
was plaustra b rather than plostra, he greeted him
next day as " Flaurus." When he was importuned
by a woman, who said that she was dying with love
for him, he took her to his bed and gave her four
but there was also a plebeian form plostra ; see Hor. &erm. 1.
6. 42 and cf . Claudius, Clodius. The original form was plostra.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

monente dispensatore, quern ad modum summam
rationibus vellet inferri : « Vespasiano," inquit,
" adamato."

XXIII. Utebatur et versibus Graecis tempestive
satis, et de quodam procerae staturae improbiusque
nato :

MaKpa /?t/?as, KpaSacov SoXt^ocrKiov Jfyx 05 *
et de Cerylo liberto, qui dives admodum ob subter-
fugiendum quandoque ius fisci ingenuum se et Lache-
tem mutato nomine coeperat ferre :

Maxime tamen dicacitatem adfectabat in deformibus
lucris, ut invidiam aliqua cavillatione dilueret trans-
ferretque ad sales.
2 Quendam e caris ministris dispensationem cuidam
quasi fratri petentem cum distulisset, ipsum candi-
datum ad se vocavit ; exactaque pecunia, quantam is
cum suffragatore suo pepigerat, sine mora ordinavit ;
interpellanti mox ministro : " Alium tibi," ait, " quaere
fratrem ; hie, quem tuum putas, meus est." Mulio-
nem in itinere quodam suspicatus ad calciandas mulas
desiluisse, 5 ut adeunti litigatori spatium moramque

1 tooddvpsi] a-KodavtSy fl.

2 &PX^ f » Gasavbon; a«x«PX*?*> M\ avxapys, O; the rest oj
the mss. for the most part have auxapXV 5 -

3 «(T€t ffly Biicheler ; eipav, fl. 4 FripuKos, fl.
6 desiluisse, M ; the other msa. have desilisso.

iirav airoOdvrf^ 1 avi
<rv 3 KiypvXos. 4

a> Aa^s, Ad)(r)s 9

• Iliad 7. 213.

» Menander, tfr. 223. 2, Koch,

316

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

hundred thousand sesterces for her favours. Being
asked by his steward how he would have the sum
entered in his accounts, he replied : "To a passion
for Vespasian."

XXIII. He also quoted Greek verses with great
timeliness, saying of a man of tall stature and
monstrous parts :

" Striding along and waving a lance that casts a long
shadow," a

and of the freedman Cerylus, who was very rich,
and to cheat the privy purse of its dues at his death
had begun to give himself out as freeborn, changing
his name to Laches :

" O Laches, Laches,
When you are dead, you'll change your name at
once

To Cerylus again." b

But he particularly resorted to witticisms about
his unseemly means of gain, seeking to diminish
their odium by some jocose saying and to turn them
into a jest.

Having put off one of his favourite attendants,
who asked for a stewardship for a pretended brother,
he summoned the candidate himself, and after
compelling him to pay him as much money as
he had agreed to give his advocate, appointed him
to the position without delay. On his attendant's
taking up the matter again, he said : " Find yourself
another brother; the man that you thought was yours
is mine." On a journey, suspecting that his muleteer
had got down to shoe the mules merely to make
delay and give time for a man with a lawsuit to
approach the emperor, he asked how much he was

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIIl

praeberet, interrogavit quanti calciasset, et pactus

3 est 1 lucri partem. Reprehendenti filio Tito, quod
etiam urinae vectigal commentus esset, pecuniam ex
prima pensione admovit ad nares, sciscitans num
odore offenderetur ; et illo negante : " Atqui," 2 in-
quit, " e lotio est." Nuntiantis legatos decretam ei
publice non mediocris summae statuam colosseam,
iussit vel continuo ponere, 3 cavam manum ostentans

4 et paratam basim dicens. Ac ne in metu quidem ac
periculo mortis extremo abstinuit iocis. Nam cum
inter cetera prodigia Mausoleum derepente patuisset
et Stella crinita in caelo apparuisset, alter urn ad
Iuniam Calvinam e gente Augusti pertinere dicebat,
alterum ad Parthorum regem qui capillatus esset ;
prima quoque morbi accessione : " Vae," inquit, " puto
deus no."

XXIV. Consulatu suo nono temptatus in Cam-
pania motiunculis levibus protinusque urbe repetita,
Cutilias 4 ac Reatina rura, ubi aestivare quotannis
solebat, petit. Hie cum super urgentem valitudinem
creberrimo frigidae aquae usu etiam intestina vitiasset
nec eo minus muneribus imperatoriis ex consuetudine
fungeretur, ut etiam legationes audiret Cubans, alvo
repente usque ad defectionem soluta, imperatorem
ait stantem mori oportere ; dumque consurgit ac
1 et pactus est, J. Oronov. ; pactusque est, ; the other

s ponere, Bentley ; the mss. have poneret or ponerent.
4 Cutilias, ^ {Beroaldus) ; Cutilias, fl.

a Of Augustus ; see Aug. c. 4.

6 The connection between the stella crinita and the long
hair of the Parthian king is obvious ; it does not seem

mss. have pactus.

318

THE DEIFIED VESPASIAN

paid for shoeing the mules and insisted on a share of
the money. When Titus found fault with him for
contriving a tax upon public conveniences, he held
a piece of money from the first payment to his son's
nose, asking whether its odour was offensive to him.
When Titus said " No," he replied, " Yet it comes
from urine.'* On the report of a deputation that
a colossal statue of great cost had been voted him
at public expense, he demanded to have it set up at
once, and holding out his open hand, said that the
base was ready. He did not cease his jokes even
when in apprehension of death and in extreme
danger ; for when among other portents the Mauso-
leum ° opened on a sudden and a comet appeared in
the heavens, he declared that the former applied
to Junia Calvina of the family of Augustus, and
the latter to the king of the Parthians, who wore
his hair long ; b and as death drew near, he said :
" Woe's me. Methinks I'm turning into a god."

XXIV. In his ninth consulship he had a slight 7©a.d.
illness in Campania, and returning at once to the
city, he left for Cutilae and the country about
Reate, where he spent the summer every year.
There, in addition to an increase in his illness,
having contracted a bowel complaint by too free
use of the cold waters, he nevertheless continued
to perform his duties as emperor, even receiving
embassies as he lay in bed. Taken on a sudden
with such an attack of diarrhoea that he all but
swooned, he said : " An emperor ought to die
standing," and while he was struggling to get on
his feet, he died in the arms of those who tried

accidental that Calvina is connected with ccdvm, " bald,"
though this word-play seems to have been overlooked.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

nititur, inter manus sublevantium extinctus est Villi.
Kal. Iul. annum agens aetatis sexagensimum ac
nonum superque mensem ac diem septimum.

XXV. Convenit inter omnis, tarn certum eum de
sua suorumque genitura semper fuisse, ut post
assiduas in se coniurationes ausus sit adfirmare senatui
aut Alios sibi successuros aut neminem. Dicitur etiam
vidisse quondam per quietem stateram media parte
vestibuli Palatinae domus positam examine aequo,
cum in altera lance Claudius et Nero starent, in altera
ipse ac filii. Nec res fefellit, quando totidem annis
parique temporis spatio utrique imperaverunt.

Divus Titus

I. Titus, cognomine paterno, amor ac deliciae
generis humani — tantum illi ad promerendam omnium
voluntatem vel ingenii vel artis vel fortunae super-
fuit, et, quod difficillimum est, in imperio, quando
privatus atque etiam sub patre principe ne odio
quidem, nedum vituperatione publica caruit — natus
est III. Kal. Ian. insigni anno Gaiana nece, prope

a Claudius and Nero reigned thirteen and fourteen years
respectively; Vespasian, ten; Titus, two; and Domitian,
fifteen.

320

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THE DEIFIED TITUS

to help him, on the ninth day before the Kalends June 23,
of July, at the age of sixty-nine years, one month ^
and seven days.

XXV. All agree that he had so much faith
in his own horoscope and those of his family,
that even after constant conspiracies were made
against him he had the assurance to say to the
senate that either his sons would succeed him
or he would have no successor. It is also said
that he once dreamed that he saw a balance with
its beam on a level placed in the middle of the
vestibule of the Palace, in one pan of which stood
Claudius and Nero and in the other himself and
his sons. And the dream came true, since both
houses reigned for the same space of time and
the same term of years.

The Deified Titus •

I. Titus, of the same surname as his father, was
the delight and darling of the human race ; such sur-
passing ability had he, by nature, art, or good fortune,
to win the affections of all men, and that, too,
which is no easy task, while he was emperor ; for as
a private citizen, and even during his father's rule,
he did not escape hatred, much less public criticism.

He was born on the third day before the Kalends Dec. 80,
of January, in the year memorable for the deatli 4lA - D
of Gaius, in a mean house near the Septizonium 6

* Some building of seven stories ; the famous Septizonium
on the Palatine was the work of Septimius Severus.

321

VOL. II. Y

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Septizonium sordidis aedibus, cubiculo vero perparvo
et obscuro, nam manet adhuc et ostenditur.

II. Educatus in aula cum Britannico simul ac
paribus disciplinis et apud eosdem magistros in-
stitutus. Quo quidem tempore aiunt metoposcopum
a Narcisso Claudi liberto adhibitum, ut Britannicum
inspiceret, constantissime affirmasse ilium quidem
nullo modo, ceterum Titum, qui tunc prope astabat,
utique imperaturum. Erant autem adeo familiares,
ut de potione, qua Britannicus hausta periit, Titus
quoque iuxta cubans gustasse credatur gravique
morbo adflictatus diu. Quorum omnium mox memor
statuam ei auream in Palatio posuit et alteram ex
ebore equestrem, quae circensi pompa hodieque
praefertur, dedicavit prosecutusque est.

III. In puero statim corporis animique dotes
exsplenduerunt, magisque ac magis deinceps per
aetatis gradus : forma egregia et cui non minus

' auctoritatis inesset quam gratiae, praecipuum robur,
quanquam neque procera statu ra et ventre paulo
proiectiore ; memoria 1 singularis, docilitas ad omnis
2 fere turn belli turn pacis artes. Armorum et equi-
tandi peritissimus, Latine Graeceque vel in orando
vel in fingendis poematibus promptus et facilis ad
extemporalitatem usque ; sed ne musicae quidem
rudis, ut qui cantaret et psalleret iucunde scienterque.
E pluribus comperi, notis quoque excipere velocis-
sime solitum, cum amanuensibus suis per ludum

1 memoria, Tl l Q ; the other mss. have memoriae.

• Cf. Nero, xxxiii. 2 and 3.

322

THE DEIFIED TITUS

and in a very small dark room besides ; for it still
remains and is on exhibition.

II. He was brought up at court in company
with Britannicus and taught the same subjects
by the same masters. At that time, so they say,
a physiognomist was brought in by Narcissus,
the freedman of Claudius, to examine Britannicus
and declared most positively that he would never
become emperor ; but that Titus, who was standing
near by at the time, would surely rule. The
boys were so intimate too, that it is believed
that when Britannicus drained the fatal draught,*
Titus, who was reclining at his side, also tasted
of the potion and for a long time suffered from
an obstinate disorder. Titus did not forget all this,
but later set up a golden statue of his friend in the
Palace, and dedicated another equestrian statue of
ivory, which is to this day carried in the procession in
the Circus, and he attended it on its first appearance.

III. Even in boyhood his bodily and mental
gifts were conspicuous and they became more
and more so as he advanced in years. He had
a handsome person, in which there was no less
dignity than grace, and was uncommonly strong,
although he was not tall of stature and had a rather
protruding belly. His memory was extraordinary
and he had an aptitude for almost all the arts, both
of war and of peace. Skilful in arms and horseman-
ship, he made speeches and wrote verses in Latin and
Greek with ease and readiness, and even off-hand.
He was besides not unacquainted with music, but
sang and played the harp agreeably and skilfully.
I have heard from many sources that he used
also to write shorthand with great speed and would

3 2 3

y 2

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

iocumque certantem, imitarique chirographa quae-
cumque vidisset, ac saepe profiteri maximum falsarium
esse potuisse.

IV. Tribunus militum et in Germania et in
Britannia meruit summa industriae nec minore
modestiae fama, 1 sicut apparet statuarum et ima-
ginum eius multitudine ac titulis per utramque
provinciam.

2 Post stipendia Foro operam dedit honestam magis
quam assiduam, eodemque tempore Arrecinam 2
Tertullam, patre eq. R. sed praefecto quondam
praetorianarum cohortium, duxit uxorem et in de-
functae locum Marciam Furnillam splendidi generis ;
cum qua sublata filia divortium fecit.

3 Ex quaesturae deinde honore legioni praepositus
Tarichaeas 3 et Gamalam urbes Iudaeae validissimas
in potestatem redegit, equo quadam acie sub
feminibus amisso alteroque inscenso, cuius rector
circa se dimicans occubuerat.

V. Galba mox tenente rem p. missus ad gratu-
landum, quaqua iret convertit homines, quasi
adoptionis gratia arcesseretur. Sed ubi turbari
rursus cuncta sensit, redit ex itinere, aditoque
Paphiae Veneris oraculo, dum de navigatione con-

2 sulit, etiam de imperii spe confirmatus est. Cuius
brevi compos et ad perdomandam Iudaeam relictus,
novissima Hierosolymorum oppugnatione duodecim
propugnatores totidem sagittarum confecit ictibus,

1 summa industriae . . . modestiae fama, summae
industriae . . . modestia et fama, A.

2 Arrecinam, Both ; adrecidiam, A.

* Taricheas, Ursinus (Tarichias, Bentley) ; Thracias, A.

a See Galba xiv. 2, and note «.

* By the accession of his father Vespasian.

3 2 4

THE DEIFIED TITUS

amuse himself by playful contests with his secre-
taries ; also that hje could imitate any handwriting
that he had ever seen and often declared that he
might have been the prince of forgers.

IV. He served as military tribune both in Germany
and in Britain, winning a high reputation for energy
and no less for integrity, as is evident from the great
number of his statues and busts in both those
provinces and from the inscriptions they bear.

After his military service he pleaded in the Forum,
rather for glory than as a profession, and at the same
time took to wife Arrecina Tertulla, whose father,
though only a Roman knight, had once been prefect
of the praetorian cohorts ; a on her death he replaced
her by Marcia Furnilla, a lady of a very distinguished
family, but divorced her after he had acknowledged
a daughter which she bore him.

Then, after holding the office of quaestor, as 67aj>.
commander of a legion he subjugated the two strong
cities of Tarichaeae and Gamala in Judaea, having
his horse killed under him in one battle and mount-
ing another, whose rider had fallen fighting by his
side.

V. Presently he was sent to congratulate Galba on 68 a.d.
becoming ruler of the state, and attracted attention
wherever he went, through the belief that he had
been sent for to be adopted. But observing that
everything was once more in a state of turmoil, he
turned back, and visiting the oracle of the Paphian
Venus, to consult it about his voyage, he was also
encouraged to hope for imperial power. Soon realis-
ing his hope 6 and left behind to complete the
conquest of Judaea, in the final attack on Jerusalem

he slew twelve of the defenders with as many

3 2 S

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cepitque ea 1 natali filiae suae tanto militum gaudio
ac favore, ut in gratulatione . imperatorem eum
consalutaverint et subinde decedentem provincia
detinuerint, suppliciter nec non et minaciter efflagi-
tantes, aut remaneret aut secum omnis pariter
3 abduceret. Unde nata suspicio est, quasi desciscere
apatre Orientisque sibi regnum vindicare temptasset;
quam suspicionem auxit, postquam Alexandriam
petens in consecrando apud Memphim bove Apide
diadema gestavit, de more quidem rituque priscae
religionis ; sed non deerant qui sequius interpre-
tarentur. Quare festinans in Italiam, cum Regium,
dein Puteolos oneraria nave appulisset, Romam inde
contendit expeditissimus inopinantique patri, velut
arguens rumorum de se temeritatem : " Veni," inquit,
" pater, veni."

VI. Neque ex eo destitit participem atque etiam
tutor em imperii agere.

Triumphavit cum patre censuramque gessit una,
eidem collega et in tribunicia potestate et in septem
consulatibus fuit ; receptaque ad se prope omnium
officiorum cura, cum patris nomine et epistulas ipse
dictaret et edicta conscriberet orationesque in senatu
recitaret etiam quaestoris vice, praefecturam quoque
praetori suscepit numquam ad id tempus nisi ab eq.
R. administratam, egitque aliquanto incivilius et
violentius, siquidem suspectissimum quemque sibi
1 ea, M ; t he other mss. have earn.
° See Aug. xiii. 2. » See Nero xv. 2, and note a .

526

THE DEIFIED TITUS

arrows; and he took the city on his daughter's
birthday, so delighting the soldiers and winning
their devotion that they hailed him as Imperator
and detained him from time to time, when he would
leave the province, urging him with prayers and even
with threats either to stay or to take them all with
him. This aroused the suspicion that he had tried
to revolt from his father and make himself king of
the East ; and he strengthened this suspicion on his
way to Alexandria by wearing a diadem at the
consecration of the bull Apis in Memphis, an act
quite in accord with the usual ceremonial of that
ancient religion, but unfavourably interpreted by
some. Because of this he hastened to Italy, and
putting in at Regium and then at Puteoli in a trans-
port ship, he went with all speed from there to Rome,
where as if to show that the reports about him were
groundless, he surprised his father with the greeting,
" I am here, father ; I am here."

VI. From that time on he never ceased to act as
the emperor's partner and even as his protector.
He took part in his father's triumph and was censor 73 a.d.
with him. He was also his colleague in the tribu-
nicial power and in seven consulships. He took 70,72,74,

75 76 77

upon himself the discharge of almost all duties, 79'^©. '
personally dictated letters and wrote edicts in his
father's name, and even read his speeches in the
senate in lieu of a quaestor. 6 He also assumed the
command of the praetorian guard,which before that
tune had never been held except by a Roman knight,
and in this office conducted himself in a somewhat
arrogant and tyrannical fashion. For whenever he
himself regarded anyone with suspicion, he would
secretly send some of the Guard to the various

3 2 7

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

summissis qui per theatra et castra quasi consensu
ad poenam deposcerent, haud cunctanter oppressit.

2 In his Aulum Caecinam consularem vocatum ad
cenam ac vixdum triclinio egressum confodi iussit,
sane urgente discrimine, cum etiam chirographum
eius praeparatae apud milites contionis deprehen-
disset. Quibus rebus sicut in posterum securitati
satis cavit, ita ad praesens plurimum contraxit
invidiae, ut non temere quis tarn adverso rumore
magisque invitis omnibus transient ad principatum.

VII. Praeter saevitiam suspecta in eo etiam
luxuria erat, quod ad mediam noctem comissationes
cum profusissimo quoque familiarium extenderet;
nec minus libido propter exoletorum et spadonum
greges propterque insignem reginae Berenices
amorem, cui etiam nuptias pollicitus ferebatur ;
suspecta rapacitas, quod constabat in cognitionibus 1
patris nundinari praemiarique solitum; denique
propalam alium Neronem et opinabantur et praedica-
bant. At illi ea fama pro bono cessit conversaque
est in maximas laudes neque vitio ullo reperto et
contra virtutibus summis.

2 Convivia instituit iucunda magis quam profusa.
Amicos elegit, quibus etiam post eum principes ut
et sibi et rei p. necessariis adquieverunt praecipueque
sunt usi. Berenicen statim ab urbe dimisit invitus
1 cognitionibus, Torrentius ; eontiouibus, XL

32*

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THE DEIFIED TITUS

theatres and camps, to demand their punishment as
if by consent of all who were present ; and then he
would put them out of the way without delay
Among these was Aulus Caecina, an ex-consul, whom
he invited to dinner and then ordered to be stabbed
almost before he left the dining-room ; but in this
case he was led by a pressing danger, having got
possession of an autograph copy of an harangue
which Caecina had prepared to deliver to the soldiers.
Although by such conduct he provided for his safety
in the future, he incurred such odium at the time
that hardly anyone ever came to the throne with
so evil a reputation or so much against the desires
of all.

VII. Besides cruelty, he was also suspected ot
riotous living, since he protracted his revels until
the middle of the night with the most prodigal of his
friends ; likewise of unchastity because of his troops
of catamites and eunuchs, and his notorious passion
for queen Berenice, to whom it was even said that
he promised marriage. He was suspected of greed
as well ; for it was well known that in cases which
came before his father he put a price on his influence
and accepted bribes. In short, people not only
thought, but openly declared, that he would be a
second Nero. But this reputation turned out to his
advantage and gave place to the highest praise,
when no fault was discovered in him, but on the
contrary the highest virtues.

His banquets were pleasant rather than extrava-
gant. He chose as his friends men whom succeeding
emperors also retained as indispensable alike to them-
selves and to the State, and of whose services they
made special use. Berenice he sent from Rome at

3 2 9

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

invitam. Quosdam e gratissimis delicatorum quan-
quam tarn artifices saltationis, ut mox scaenam
tenuerint, non modo fovere prolixius, sed spectare
omnino in publico coetu supersedit.
3 Nulli civium quicquam ademit ; abstinuit alieno,
ut si quis umquam ; ac ne concessas quidem ac solitas
conlationes recepit. Et tamen nemine ante se munifi-
centia minor, amphitheatro dedicato thermisque iuxta
celeriter 1 exstructis munus edidit apparatissimum lar-
gissimumque ; dedit et navale proelium in veteri nau-
machia, ibidem et gladiatores atque uno die quinque
milia omne genus ferarum.

VIII. Natura autem benevolentissimus, cum ex in-
stitute Tiberi omnes dehinc Caesares beneficia a
superioribus concessa principibus aliter rata 2 non
haberent, quam si eadem iisdem et ipsi dedissent,
primus praeterita omnia uno confirmavit edicto nec a
se peti passus est. In ceteris vero desideriis hominum
obstinatissime tenuit, ne quem sine spe dimitteret ;
quin et admonentibus domesticis, quasi plura polli-
ceretur quam praestare posset, non oportere ait
quemquam a sermone principis tristem discedere ;
atque etiam recordatus quondam super cenam, quod
nihil cuiquam toto die praestitisset, memorabilem
illam meritoque laudatam vocem edidit : " Amici,
diem perdidi."

1 celeriter, CcUderinus, in note on Mart. Sped. 2. 7 ; cele-
briter, XI. 2 rata, inserted by Egnalius.

° See note on Vesp. ix. * See Aug. xliii. 1.

c When the water had been let out ; c£. Nero, xxvii, 2.

$30

THE DEIFIED TITUS

once, against her will and against his own. Some of
his most beloved paramours, although they were
such skilful dancers that they later became stage
favourites, he not only ceased to cherish any longer,
but even to witness their public performances.

He took away nothing from any citizen. He
respected others' property, if anyone ever did ; in
fact, he would not accept even proper and customary
presents. And yet he was second to none of his
predecessors in munificence. At the dedication of
the amphitheatre and of the baths which were 80a.d.
hastily built near it he gave a most magnificent
and costly gladiatorial show. He presented a sham
sea-fight too in the old naumachia, 6 and in the same
place a combat of gladiators/ exhibiting five thousand
wild beasts of every kind in a single day.

VIII. He was most kindly by nature, and whereas
in accordance with a custom established by Tiberius,
all the Caesars who followed him refused to regard
favours granted by previous emperors as valid, unless
they had themselves conferred the same ones on the
same individuals, Titus was the first to ratify them
all in a single edict, without allowing himself to be
asked. Moreover, in the case of other requests
made of him, it was his fixed rule not to let anyone
go away without hope. Even when his household
officials warned him that he was promising more
than he could perform, he said that it was not right
for anyone to go away sorrowful from an interview
with his emperor. On another occasion, remember-
ing at dinner that he had done nothing for anybody
all that day, he gave utterance to that memorable
and praiseworthy remark : " Friends, I have lost a
day,"

33*

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

2 Populum in primis universum tanta per omnis
occasiones comitate tractavit, ut proposito gladiatorio
munere, non ad suum, sed ad spectantium arbitrium
editurum se professus sit ; et plane ita fecit. Nam
neque negavit quicquam petentibus et ut quae vellent
peterent ultro adhortatus est. Quin et studium ar-
maturae Thraecum prae se ferens saepe cum populo
et voce et gestu ut fautor cavillatus est, verum maie-
state salva nec minus aequitate. Ne quid popularitatis
praetermitteret, nonnumquam in thermis suis admissa
plebe lavit.

3 Quaedam sub eo fortuita ac tristia acciderunt, ut
conflagratio Vesuvii 1 montis in Campania, et in-
cendium Romae per triduum totidemque noctes,
item pestilentia quanta non temere alias. In iis tot
adversis ac talibus non modo principis sollicitudinem
sed et parentis affectum unicum praestitit, nunc con-
solando per edicta, nunc opitulando quatenus sup-

4 peteret facultas. Curatores restituendae Campaniae e
consularium numero sorte duxit ; bona oppressorum in
Vesuvio, 2 quorum heredes non exstabant, restitutioni
afflictarum civitatium attribuit. Urbis incendio nihil
publice nisi periisse testatus, 3 cuncta praetoriorum
suorum ornamenta operibus ac templis destinavit prae-
posuitque compluris ex equestri ordine, quo quaeque

1 Vesuvii] ve*bii, M ; vesubii, O.

* Vesuvio, M ; vesubio, O.

* nichil nisi Bibi perisse testatus publice, T ; nichil nisi sibi
publice perisse testatus, OT ; nihil publice perisse testatus,
Both, following a ms. of Torrentius.

• By humorously pretending to wrangle with those who
favoured other gladiators than the Thracians ; see Index,
s.v. gladiator.

33 2

THE DEIFIED TITUS

The whole body of the people in particular he
treated with such indulgence on all occasions, that
once at a gladiatorial show he declared that he
would give it, "not after his own inclinations, but
those of the spectators " ; and what is more, he kept
his word. For he refused nothing which anyone
asked, and even urged them to ask for what they
wished. Furthermore, he openly displayed his
partiality for Thracian gladiators and bantered the
people about it by words and gestures,* always
however preserving his dignity, as well as observing
justice. Not to omit any act of condescension, he
sometimes bathed in the baths which he had built,
in company with the common people.

There were some dreadful disasters during his
reign, such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
Campania, a fire at Rome which continued three 79a.d.
days and as many nights, and a plague the like of 80 a.d.
which had hardly ever been known before. In these
many great calamities he showed not merely the
concern of an emperor, but even a father's sur-
passing love, now offering consolation in edicts, and
now lending aid so far as his means allowed. He
chose commissioners by lot from among the ex-
consuls for the relief of Campania ; and the property
of those who lost their lives by Vesuvius and had no
heirs left alive he applied to the rebuilding of the
buried cities. During the fire in Rome he made no
remark except " I am ruined," b and he set aside all
the ornaments of his villas for the public buildings and
temples, and put several men of the equestrian order
in charge of the work, that everything might be done

6 Implying that it was his personal loss, which he would
make good.

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maturius peragerentur. Medendae valitudini leni-
endisque morbis nullam divinam humanamque opem
non adhibuit inquisito omni sacrificiorutn remediorum-
que genere.

5 Inter ad versa temporum et delatores mandatores-
que 1 erant ex licentia veteri. Hos assidue in Foro
flagellis ac fustibus caesos ac novissime traductos per
amphitheatri harenam partim subici ac venire im-
peravit, partim in asperrimas insularum avehi. Utque
etiam similia quandoque ausuros perpetuo coerceret,
vetuit inter cetera de eadem re pluribus legibus agi
quaerive de cuiusquam defunctorum statu ultra certos
annos.

IX. Pontificatum maximum ideo se professus acci-
pere ut puras servaret manus, fidem praestitit, nec
auctor posthac cuiusquam necis nec conscius, quamvis
interdum ulciscendi causa non deesset, sed periturum
se potius quam perditurum adiurans. Duos patricii
generis convictos in adfectatione imperii nihil
amplius quam ut desisterent monuit, docens princi-
patum fato dari, si quid 2 praeterea desiderarent
2 promittens se tributurum. Et confestim quidem ad
alterius matrem quae procul aberat, cursores suos
misit, qui anxiae salvum filium nuntiarent, ceterum
ipsos non solum familiari cenae adhibuit, sed et

1 mandatoresque, X; amendatoresque, M ; amandator-
esque, Ql.

* quid, GN8 ; the other mss. have quod.

° To propitiate the gods, who were supposed to inflict such
evils upon mankind by way of punishment.

6 The office was seldom taken so seriously. Julius Caesar,
for instance, held it during his campaigns in Gaul.

334

THE DEIFIED TITUS

with the greater dispatch. For curing the plague
and diminishing the force of the epidemic there was
no aid, human or divine, which he did not employ,
searching for every kind of sacrifice a and all kinds of
medicines.

Among the evils of the times were the informers
and their instigators, who had enjoyed a long stand-
ing licence. After these had been soundly beaten in
the Forum with scourges and cudgels, and finally led
in procession across the arena of the amphitheatre,
he had some of them put up and sold, and others
deported to the wildest of the islands. To further
discourage for all time any who might think of
venturing on similar practices, among other precau-
tions he made it unlawful for anyone to be tried
under several laws for the same offence, or for any
inquiry to be made as to the legal status of any
deceased person after a stated number of years.

IX. Having declared that he would accept the
office of pontifex maximus 6 for the purpose of keeping
his hands unstained, he was true to his promise ; for
after that he neither caused nor connived at the death
of any man, although he sometimes had no lack of
reasons for taking vengeance ; but he swore that he
would rather be killed than kill. When two men of
patrician family were found guilty of aspiring to the
throne, he satisfied himself with warning them to
abandon their attempt, saying that imperial power
was the gift of fate, and promising that if there was
anything else they desired, he himself would bestow it.
Then he sent his couriers with all speed to the mother
of one of them, for she was some distance off, to
relieve her anxiety by reporting that her son was safe ;
and he not only invited the men themselves to dinner

335

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS^BOOK VIII

insequenti die gladiatorum spectaculo circa se ex
industria conlocatis oblata sibi ferramenta pugnan-
tium inspicienda porrexit. Dicitur etiam cognita
utriusque genitura imminere ambobus periculum
adfirmasse, verum quandoque et ab alio, sicut evenit.

3 Fratrem insidiari sibi non desinentem, sed paene
ex professo sollicitantem exercitus, meditantem
fugam, neque occidere neque seponere ac ne in
minore quidem honore habere sustinuit, sed, ut a
primo imperii die, consortem successoremque testari
perseveravit, nonnumquam secreto precibus et lacrimis
orans, ut tandem mutuo erga se animo vellet esse.

X. Inter haec morte praeventus est maiore homi-
num damno quam suo.

Spectaculis absolutis, in quorum fine populo coram
ubertim fleverat, Sabinos petit aliquanto tristior, quod
sacrificanti hostia aufugerat quodque tempestate
serena tonuerat. Deinde ad primam statim man-
sionem febrim nanctus, cum inde lectica trans-
ferretur, suspexisse dicitur dimotis pallulis caelum,
multumque conquestus eripi sibi vitam immerenti ;
neque enim exstare ullum suum factum paenitendum

2 excepto dum taxat uno. Id quale fuerit, neque ipse
tunc prodidit neque cuiquam facile succurrat. Quidam
opinantur consuetudinem recordatum, quam cum

° The weapons of gladiators were regularly examined by
the editor, or giver of the games, to see if they were sharp
enough ; cf. Dio, 68. 3, who tells a similar story of the
emperor Nerva.

b Possibly Domitian's charge was true ; cf. Dora. ii. 3.

336

THE DEIFIED TITUS

among his friends, but on the following day at a
gladiatorial show he purposely placed them near
him, and when the swords of the contestants were
offered him,° handed them over for their inspection.
It is even said that inquiring into the horoscope
of each of them, he declared that danger threatened
them both, but at some future time and from
another, as turned out to be the case.

Although his brother never ceased plotting
against him, but almost openly stirred up the armies
to revolt and meditated flight to them, he had not
the heart to put him to death or banish him
from the court, or even to hold him in less honour
than before. On the contrary, as he had done from
the very first day of his rule, he continued to declare
that he was his partner and successor, and sometimes
he privately begged him with tears and prayers to be
willing at least to return his affection.

X. In the meantime he was cut off by death,
to the loss of mankind rather than to his own. After
finishing the public games, at the close of which he
wept bitterly in the presence of the people, he went
to the Sabine territory, somewhat cast down because
a victim had escaped as he was sacrificing and
because it had thundered from a clear sky. Then at
the very first stopping place he was seized with a
fever, and as he was being carried on from there in a
litter, it is said that he pushed back the curtains,
looked up to heaven, and lamented bitterly that his
life was being taken from him contrary to his deserts ;
for he said that there was no act of his life of which
he had cause to repent, save one only. What this was
he did not himself disclose at the time, nor could any-
one easily divine. 6 Some think that he recalled the

337

VOL II. Z

Digitized by

THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

fratris uxore habuerit ; sed nullam habuisse per-
sancte Domitia iurabat, haud negatura, si qua omnino
fuisset, immo etiam gloriatura, quod ill! promptissi-
mum erat in omnibus probris.

XI. Excessit in eadem qua pater villa Id. Sept.
post biennium ac menses duos diesque XX quam
successerat patri, altero et quadragesimo aetatis
anno. Quod ut palam factum est, non secus atque
in domestico luctu maerentibus publice cunctis,
senatus prius quam edicto convocaretur ad curiam
concurrit, obseratisque adhuc foribus, deinde apertis,
tantas mortuo gratias egit laudesque congessit,
quantas ne vivo quidem umquam atque praesenti.

Domitianu8

I. Domitianus natus est Villi. Kal. Novemb.
patre consule designato inituroque mense insequenti
honorem, regione urbis sexta ad Malum Punicum,
domo quam postea in tempi um gentis Flaviae
convertit. Pubertatis ac primae adulescentiae tem-
pus tanta inopia tantaque infamia gessisse fertur, ut

a The old homestead at Cutilae, near Reate ; see Vesp.
xxiv. That this continued to be a villa rustica is implied in

Vesp. ii. 1.

* Various quarters and streets of the city were designated

338

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DOMITIAN

intimacy which he had with his brother's wife ; but
Domitia swore most solemnly that this did not exist,
although she would not have denied it if it had been
in the least true, but on the contrary would have
boasted of it, as she was most ready to do of all her
scandalous actions.

XI. He died in the same farmhouse a as his father,
on the Ides of September, two years two months Sept. is,
and twenty days after succeeding Vespasian, in the 81
forty-second year of his age. When his death was
made known, the whole populace mourned as they
would for a loss in their own families, the senate
hastened to the House before it was summoned by
proclamation, and with the doors still shut, and then
with them open, rendered such thanks to him and
heaped such praise on him after death as they had
never done even when he was alive and present.

Domitian

I. Domitian was born on the ninth day before the Oct. 24,
Kalends of November of the year when his father 51
was consul elect and was about to enter on the
office in the following month, in a street of the sixth
region called " the Pomegranate," 6 in a house which
he afterwards converted into a temple of the
Flavian family. He is said to have passed the
period of his boyhood and his early youth in great

in this way ; cf. ad Capita Bubula, Aug. v. ; ad Pirum, Mart.
1. 117. 6. Ad Malum Punicum was a street on the Quirinal
hill, probably corresponding with the modem Via delle
Quatro Fontaue ; see Plainer, Topography of Rome, p. 485.

339

z 2

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nullum argenteum vas in usu haberet. Satisque
constat Clodium Pollionem praetorium virum, in
quem est poema Neronis quod inscribitur " Luscio,"
chirographum eius conservasse et nonnumquam
protulisse noctem sibi pollicentis ; nec defuerunt qui
affirmarent, corruptum Domitianum et a Nerva

2 successore mox suo. Bello Vitelliano confugit in
Capitolium cum patruo Sabino ac parte praesentium
copiarum, sed irrumpentibus adversariis et ardente
templo apud aedituum clam pernoctavit, ac mane
Isiaci celatus habitu interque sacrificulos variae 1
superstitionis cum se trans Tiberim ad condiscipuli
sui matrem comite uno contulisset, ita latuit, ut
scrutantibus qui vestigia subsecuti erant, deprehendi

3 non potuerit. Post victoriam demum progressus et
Caesar consalutatus honorem praeturae urbanae
consulari potestate suscepit titulo tenus, nam 2 iuris
dictionem ad collegam proximum transtulit, ceterum
omnem vim dominationis tam licenter exercuit, ut
iam turn qualis futurus esset ostenderet. Ne 8
exsequar singula, contractatis multorum uxoribus
Domitiam Longinam Aelio Lamiae nuptam etiam
in matrimonium abduxit, atque uno die super XX
officia urbana aut peregrina distribuit, mirari se

1 variae, fl ; vanae, g- and the editors.

2 nam, J. Gronov. ; quam, n ; quia,
8 ne, UQ ; the other nus. have nec.

a Cf. Otho, xii. 1, at the end. 6 See note on Galba, i.

« As son of the emperor.

That is, in the provinces.

340

DOMITIAN

poverty and infamy. For he did not possess a single
piece of plate and it is a well known fact that
Claudius Pollio, a man of praetorian rank, against
whom Nero's poem entitled " The One-eyed Man "
is directed, preserved a letter in Domitian's hand-
writing and sometimes exhibited it, in which the
future emperor promised him an assignation ; and
there have not been wanting those who declared
that Domitian was also debauched by Nerva,
who succeeded him. In the war with Vitellius
he took refuge in the Capitol with his paternal
uncle Sabinus and a part of the forces under
him. When the enemy forced an entrance and the
temple was fired, he hid during the night with the
guardian of the shrine, and in the morning, disguised
in the garb of a follower of Isis a and mingling with
the priests of that fickle superstition, he went
across the Tiber with a single companion to the
mother of one of his school-fellows. There he was
so effectually concealed, that though he was closely
followed, he could not be found, in spite of a
thorough search. It was only after the victory that
he ventured forth and after being hailed as Caesar/
he assumed the office of city praetor with consular
powers, but only in name, turning over all the judicial
business to his next colleague. But he exercised
all the tyranny of his high position c so lawlessly,
that it was even then apparent what sort of a man
he was going to be. Not to mention all details,
after making free with the wives of many men, he
went so far as to marry Domitia Longina, who was
the wife of Aelius Lamia, and in a single day he
.assigned more than twenty positions in the city and
abroad,** which led Vespasian to say more than once

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Vespasiano dictitante, quod successorem non et sibi
mitteret.

II. Expeditionem quoque in Galliam Germanias-
que neque necessariam et dissuadentibus paternis
amicis incohavit, tantum ut fratri se et opibus et
dignatione adaequaret.

Ob haec correptus, quo magis et aetatis et condi-
cionis admoneretur, habitabat cum patre una sellam-
que eius ac fratris, quotiens prodirent, lectica
sequebatur ac triumphum utriusque Iudaicum equo
albo comitatus est. Quin et e sex 1 consulatibus non
nisi unum ordinarium gessit eumque cedente ac

2 suffragante fratre. Simulavit et ipse mire modestiam
in primisque poeticae studium, tarn insuetum antea
sibi quam postea spretum et abiectum, recitavitque
etiam publice. Nec tamen eo setius, cum Vologaesus
Parthorum rex auxilia adversus Alanos ducemque
alterum ex Vespasiani liberis depoposcisset, omni
ope contendit ut ipse potissimum mitteretur ; et
quia discussa res est, alios Orientis reges ut idem
postularent donis ac pollicitationibus sollicitare
temptavit.

3 Patre defuncto diu cunctatus an duplum donativum
militi offerret, numquam iactare dubitavit relictum
se participem imperii, sed fraudem testamento
adhibitam ; neque cessavit ex eo insidias struere

1 quin et e sex, Ihm (quin ex, BeiUley); qui sex or quis ex,
MGfiLPti ; the rest of the rnss. have in sex.

a He was but eighteen years old at the time.

* The usual procedure for a youthful prince ; cf. Tib. vi. 4.
c See note on Galba, vi. 1. The reference is to his consul-
ships before he became emperor ; see chap. xiii. 3.

* That is, twice as large as his brother's.

Titus had the ability to do this ; cf. Tit. iii. 2, at the end.

342

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that he was surprised that he did not appoint the
emperor's successor with the rest.

II. He began an expedition against Gaul and the
Germanies, which was uncalled for and from which
his father's friends dissuaded him, merely that he
might make himself equal to his brother in power
and rank. For this he was reprimanded, and to
give him a better realisation of his youth a and
position, he had to live with his father, and when
they appeared in public he followed the emperors
chair and that of his brother in a litter, while he
also attended their triumph over Judaea riding on
a white horse. 6 Moreover, of his six consulships
only one was a regular one, c and he obtained that
only because his brother gave place to him and
recommended his appointment.

He himself too made a remarkable pretence of
modesty and especially of an interest in poetry, an
art which had previously been as unfamiliar to him
as it was later despised and rejected, and he even
gave readings in public. Yet in spite of all this,
when Vologaesus, king of the Parthians, had asked
for auxiliaries against the Alani and for one of
Vespasian's sons as their leader, Domitian used every
effort to have himself sent rather than Titus; and
because the affair came to nothing, he tried by gifts
and promises to induce other eastern kings to make
the same request.

On the death of his father he hesitated for some
time whether to offer a double largess d to the
soldiers, and he never had any compunction about
saying that he had been left a partner in the im-
perial power, but that the will had been tampered
with/ And from that time on he never ceased to

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fratri clam palamque, 1 quoad correptum gravi vali-
tudine, prius quam plane efflaret animam, pro
mortuo deseri iussit ; defunctumque nullo praeter-
quam consecrationis honore dignatus, saepe etiam
carpsit obliquis orationibus et edictis.

III. Inter initia principatus cotidie secretum sibi
horarum sumere solebat nec quicquam amplius quam
muscas captare ac stilo praeacuto configere, ut cuidam
interroganti, essetne quis intus cum Caesare, non
absurde responsum sit a Vibio Crispo, ne muscam
quidem. Deinde uxorem Domitiam, ex qua in
secundo suo consulatu filium tulerat alteroque anno
quam imperium adeptus est amisit, 2 consalutavit
Augustam ; eandem Paridis histrionis amore deper-
ditam repudiavit intraque breve tempus inpatiens
discidii quasi efflagitante populo reduxit.

2 Circa administrationem autem imperii aliquamdiu
se varium praestitit, mixtura 3 quoque aequabili
vitiorum atque virtutum, donee virtutes quoque in
vitia deflexit; quantum coniectare licet, super ingenii
naturam inopia rapax, metu saevus.

IV. Spectacula assidue magnifica et sumptuosa
edidit non in amphitheatro modo, verum et in Circo,
ubi praeter sollemnes bigarum quadrigarumque
cursus proelium etiam duplex, equestre ac pedestre,
commisit ; at in amphitheatro navale quoque. Nam

1 palamque, T<? ; et pal am, L ; the other mss. have palam.

2 quam . . . amisit, supplied by Ihm.

8 mixturaque, Lipsius ; mixtura prope, Bentlty.

* See chaps, ix. »nd xi. 1. * See note on Vesp. ix. 1,
344

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DOMITIAN

plot against his brother secretly and openly, until Titus
was seized with a dangerous illness, when Domitian
ordered that he be left for dead, before he had
actually drawn his last breath. And after his death
he bestowed no honour upon him, save that of
deification, and he often assailed his memory in
ambiguous phrases, both in his speeches and in his
edicts. —

III. At the beginning of his reign he used to
spend hours in seclusion every day, doing nothing
but catch flies and stab them with a keenly-sharpened
stylus. Consequently when someone once asked
whether anyone was in there with Caesar, Vibius
Crispus made the witty reply : " Not even a fly."
Then he saluted his wife Domitia as Augusta. He
had had a son by her in his second consulship, whom
he lost the second year after he became emperor; he
divorced her because of her love for the actor Paris,
but could not bear the separation and soon took her
back, alleging that the people demanded it.

In his administration of the government he for
some time showed himself inconsistent, with about
an equal number of virtues and vices, but finally he
turned the virtues also into vices ; for so far as one
may guess, it was contrary to his natural disposition a
that he was made rapacious through need and cruel
through fear.

IV. He constantly gave grand and costly enter-
tainments, both in the amphitheatre b and in the
Circus, where in addition to the usual races between
two-horse and four-horse chariots, he also exhibited
two battles, one between forces of infantry and the
other by horsemen ; and he even gave a naval battle
in the amphitheatre. Besides he gave hunts of wild

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venationes gladiatoresque et noctibus ad lychnuchos.
nec virorum modo pugnas, sed et feminarum,
Praeterea quaestoriis muneribus, quae olim omissa
revocaverat, ita semper interfuit, ut populo potestatem
faceret bina paria e suo ludo postulandi eaque

2 novissima aulico apparatu induceret. Ac per omne
gladiatorum spectaculum ante pedes ei stabat
puerulus coccinatus parvo portentosoque capite, cum
quo plurimum fabulabatur, nonnumquam serio.
Auditus est certe, dum ex eo quaerit, ecquid 1
sciret, cur sibi visum esset ordinatione proxima
Aegypto praeficere Mettium Rufum. Edidit navalis
pugnas paene iustarum classium, effosso et circum-
structo iuxta Tiberim lacu, atque inter maximos
imbres perspectavit.

3 Fecit et ludos saeculares, computata ratione tem-
porum ad annum non quo Claudius proxime, sed quo
olim Augustus ediderat; in iis circensium die, quo
facilius centum missus peragerentur, singulos e
septenis spatiis ad quina corripuit.

4 Instituit et quinquennale certamen Capitolino Iovi
triplex, musicum equestre gymnicum, et aliquanto
plurium quam nunc est coronatorum. Certabant
enim et prosa oratione Graece Latineque ac praeter
citharoedos chorocitharistae quoque et psilocitha-

1 ecquid, second Roman edition ; et quid, XI (et qui, X).

a See note on Claud, xxi. 2.
6 See note on Claud, xxi. 3.
c As well as in poetry.

346

DOMITIAN

beasts, gladiatorial shows at night by the light of
torches, and not only combats between men but
between women as well. He was always present too
at the games given by the quaestors, which he revived
after they had been abandoned for some time, and
invariably granted the people the privilege of calling
for two pairs of gladiators from his own school, and
brought them in last in all the splendour of the
court. During the whole of every gladiatorial show
there always stood at his feet a small boy clad in
scarlet, with an abnormally small head, with whom
he used to talk a great deal, and sometimes
seriously. At any rate, he was overheard to ask
him if he knew why he had decided at the last
appointment day to make Mettius Rufus praefect of
Egypt. He often gave sea-fights almost with regular
fleets, having dug a pool near the Tiber and sur-
rounded it with seats ; and he continued to witness
the contests amid heavy rains.

He also celebrated Secular games/ 1 reckoning
the time, not according to the year when Claudius
had last given them, but by the previous calculation
of Augustus. In the course of these, to make it
possible to finish a hundred races on the day of the
contests in the Circus, he diminished the number of
laps from seven to five. 6

He also established a quinquennial contest in
honour of Jupiter Capitolinus of a threefold char-
acter, comprising music, riding, and gymnastics,
and with considerably more prizes than are awarded
nowadays. For there were competitions in prose
declamation c both in Greek and in Latin ; and in
addition to those of the lyre-players, between
choruses of such players and in the lyre alone,

347

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ristae, in stadio vero cursu etiam virgines. 1 Certamini
praesedit crepidatus purpureaque amictus toga
Graecanica, capite gestans coronam auream cum
effigie Iovis ac Iunonis Minervaeque, adsidentibus
Diali sacerdote et collegio Flaviabum pari habitu,
nisi quod illorum coronis inerat et ipsius imago.
Celebrabat et in Albano quotannis Quinquatria
Minervae, cui collegium instituerat, ex quo sorte
ducti magisterio fungerentur ederentque eximias
venationes et scaenicos ludos superque oratorum ac
poetarum certamina.
5 Congiarium populo nummorum trecenorum ter
dedit atque inter spectacula muneris largissimum
epulum Septimontiali sacro, cum 2 quidem senatui
equitique panariis, plebei sportellis cum obsonio
distributis initium vescendi primus fecit; dieque
proximo omne genus rerum missilia sparsit, et quia
pars maior intra popularia deciderat, quinquagenas
tesseras in singulos cuneos equestris ac senatorii
ordinis pronuntiavit.

V. Plurima et amplissima opera incendio absumpta
restituit, in quis et Capitolium, quod rursus arserat ;
sed omnia sub titulo tantum suo ac sine ulla pristini
auctoris memoria. Novam autem excitavit aedem

1 virgines, Lipsius ; Virginia, XI.

2 sacro cum, J. Oronov. ; sacro (quidem), §- ( Torrentius) ;
sacrorum, XI.

° Established for the worship of the deified Flavian
emperors, after the manner of the Augustales ; see note on ,
Claud, vi. 2. b See Aug. lxxi. 3.

c While the spectators remained in their seats; cf. Dio,
67. 4.

d Represented in many cases by tesserae, or tickets ; sec
note 6 on Aug. xli. 2.

348

DOMITIAN

without singing; while in the stadium there were
races even between maidens. He presided at the
competitions in half-boots, clad in a purple toga in
the Greek fashion, and wearing upon his head a
golden crown with figures of Jupiter, Juno, and
Minerva, while by his side sat the priest of Jupiter
and the college of the Flaviales/* similarly dressed,
except that their crowns bore his image as well. He
celebrated the Quinquatria 6 too every year in honour
of Minerva at his Alban villa, and established for her
a college of priests, from which men were chosen
by lot to act as officers and give splendid shows
of wild beasts and stage plays, besides holding con-
tests in oratory and poetry.

He made a present to the people of three hundred
sesterces each on three occasions, and in the course
of one of his shows in celebration of the feast of
the Seven Hills gave a plentiful banquet, distributing
large baskets of victuals to the senate and knights,
and smaller ones to the commons ; and he himself
was the first to begin to eat. On the following
day he scattered gifts of all sorts of things d to be
scrambled for, and since the greater part of these
fell where the people sat, he had five hundred tickets
thrown into each section occupied by the senatorial
and equestrian orders.

V. He restored many splendid buildings which
had been destroyed by fire, among them the 82a.d.
Capitolium, which had again been burned/ but
in all cases with the inscription of his own name
only, and with no mention of the original builder.
Furthermore, he built a new temple on the Capitoline

• In 80 ; it had previously been destroyed by fire in 69 ;
see Vit. xv. 3.

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in Capitolio Custodi Iovi et forum quod nunc
Nervae vocatur, item Flaviae templum gentis et
stadium et odium et naumachiam, e cuius postea
lapide Maximus Circus deustis utrimque lateribus
exstructus est.

VI. Expeditiones partim sponte suscepit, partim
necessario : sponte in Chattos, necessario unam in
Sarmatas legione cum legato simul caesa ; in Dacos
duas, primam Oppio Sabino consulari oppresso,
secundam Cornelio Fusco praefecto cohortium prae-
torianarum, cui belli summam commiserat. De
Chattis Dacisque post varia proelia duplicem trium-
phum egit, de Sarmatis lauream modo Capitolino
Iovi rettulit.

2 Bellum civile motum a L. Antonio, superioris
Germaniae praeside, confecit absens felicitate mira,
cum ipsa dimicationis hora resolutus repente Rhenus
transituras ad Antonium copias barbarorum in-
hibuisset. De qua victoria praesagiis prius quam
nuntiis comperit, siquidem ipso quo dimicatum erat
die statuam eius Romae insignis aquila circumplexa
pinnis clangores laetissimos edidit; pauloque post
occisum Antonium adeo vulgatum est, ut caput
quoque adportatum eius vidisse se plerique con-
tenderent.

° "Who finished and dedicated it ; it was also called the
Forum Transitorium because it connected the Forum of
Augustus with the Forum Pacis, as well as the Subura with
the Forum Romanum. It occupied a part of the Argiletum.

* Or Music Hall. c See chap. iv. 2.

d Tac. Agr. 39 says that his unjustified triumph over
the Germans (and the Dacians) was a laughing-stock.

35°

DOMITIAN

hill in honour of Jupiter Custos and the forum
which now bears the name of Nerva ; a likewise
a temple to the Flavian family, a stadium, an Odeum, 6
and a pool for sea-fights. c From the stone used
in this last the Circus Maximus was afterwards rebuilt,
when both sides of it had been destroyed by fire.

VI. His campaigns he undertook partly without
provocation and partly of necessity. That against
the Chatti was uncalled for, while the one against 84a.d.
the Sarmatians was justified by the destruction
of a legion with its commander. He made two
against the Dacians, the first when Oppius Sabinus
an ex-consul was defeated, and the second on the 86 a. d.
overthrow of Cornelius Fuscus, prefect of the
praetorian guard, to whom he had entrusted the
conduct of the war. After several battles of varying
success he celebrated a double triumph over the
Chatti and the Dacians. d His victories over the
Sarmatians he commemorated merely by the offering
of a laurel crown to Jupiter of the Capitol.

A civil war which was set on foot by Lucius
Antonius, governor of Upper Germany, was put
down in the emperor's absence by a remarkable
stroke of good fortune ; for at the very hour of the
battle the Rhine suddenly thawed and prevented
his barbarian allies from crossing over to Antonius.
Domitian learned of this victory through omens
before he actually had news of it, for on the very
day when the decisive battle was fought a magnifi-
cent eagle enfolded his statue at Rome with its
wings, uttering exultant shrieks ; and soon after-
wards the report of Antony's death became so cur-
rent, that several went so far as to assert positively
that they had seen his head brought to Rome.

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VII. Multa etiam in communi rerum usu novavit:
sportulas publicas sustulit revocata rectarum cenarum
consuetudine ; duas circensibus gregum 1 factiones
aurati purpureique panni ad quattuor pristinas
addidit; interdixit histrionibus scaenam, intra domum
quidem exercendi artem iure concesso ; castrari
mares vetuit ; spadonum, qui residui apud mangones

2 erant, pretia moderatus est. Ad summam quondam
ubertatem vini, frumenti vero inopiam existimans
nimio vinearum studio neglegi arva, edixit, ne quis
in Italia novellaret utque in provinciis vineta suc-
ciderentur, relicta ubi plurimum dimidia parte ; nec
exsequi rem perseveravit. Quaedam ex maximis
officiis inter libertinos equitesque R. communicavit.

3 Geminari legionum castra prohibuit nec plus quam
mille nummos a quoquam ad signa deponi, quod L.
Antonius apud duarum legionum hiberna res novas
moliens fiduciam cepisse etiam ex depositorum summa
videbatur. Addidit et quart um stipendium militi
aureos ternos.

VIII. Ius diligenter et industrie dixit, plerumque

1 gregum, Beroaldus ; grecum, CI.

a See Nero, xvi. 2. 6 See Aug. lxxiv.

e See Galig. lv. 2. d See chap. xiv. 2.

• That is, those which had formerly been restricted to the
senatorial order.

/ Where the soldiers deposited their surplus money with
the general for safe keeping, until the end of their term of
service ; see Veget. 2. 20 and for fuller details Grenfell, Hunt,
and Hogarth, "Fayoum Towns and their Papyri," pp. 252 ff.,
where the accounts of two soldiers of about the year 180 are
published.

35*

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DOMITIAN

VII. He made many innovations also in common
customs. He did away with the distribution of
food to the people a and revived that of formal
dinners. 6 He added two factions of drivers in the
Circus, with gold and purple as their colours, to
the four former ones. 6 He forbade the appearance
of actors on the stage, but allowed the practice
of their art in private houses. He prohibited
the castration of males, and kept down the price
of the eunuchs that remained in the hands of
the slave dealers. Once upon the occasion of
a plentiful wine crop, attended with a scarcity
of grain, thinking that the fields were neglected
through too much attention to the vineyards, he
made an edict forbidding anyone to plant more
vines in Italy and ordering that the vineyards in
the provinces be cut down, or but half of them
at most be left standing ; but he did not persist in
carrying out the measure.** He opened some of
the most important offices of the court' to freedmen
and Roman knights. He prohibited the uniting
of two legions in one camp and the deposit of more
than a thousand sesterces by any one soldier at
headquarters/ because it was clear that Lucius
Antonius had been especially led to attempt a
revolution by the amount of such deposits in the
combined winter quarters of two legions. He
increased the pay of the soldiers one fourth, by the
addition of three gold pieces each year.?

VIII. He administered justice scrupulously and
conscientiously, frequently holding special sittings

(f That is, raised the amount from nine to twelve aurei.
The aureus contained 100 sesterces and was equal to a little
over a pound sterling, or five dollars.

353

VOL. II. A A

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et in Foro pro tribunali extra ordinem ; ambitiosas
centumvirorum sententias rescidit ; reciperatores, ne
se perfusoriis assertionibus accommodarent, identidem
admonuit ; nummarios iudices cum suo quemque

2 consilio notavit. Auctor et tribunis plebis fuit
aedilem sordidum repetundarum accusandi iudicesque
in eum a senatu petendi. Magistratibus quoque
urbicis provinciarumque praesidibus coercendis
tantum curae adhibuit, ut neque modestiores umquam
neque iustiores exstiterint ; e quibus plerosque post

3 ilium reos omnium criminum vidimus. Suscepta
correctione 1 morum licentiam theatralem promiscue
in equite spectandi inhibuit ; scripta famosa vulgoque
edita, quibus primores viri ac feminae notabantur,
abolevit non sine auctorum ignominia ; quaestorium
virum, quod gesticulandi saltandique studio teneretur,
movit senatu ; probrosis feminis lecticae usum
ademit iusque capiendi legata hereditatesque ;
equitem R. ob reductam in matrimonium uxorem,
cui dimissae adulterii crimen intenderat, erasit
iudicum albo ; quosdam ex utroque ordine lege
Scantinia condemnavit ; incesta Vestalium virginum,
a patre quoque suo et fratre neglecta, varie ac severe
coercuit, priora capitali supplicio, posteriora more

4 veteri. Nam cum Oculatis sororibus, item Varronillae
liberum mortis permisisset arbitrium corruptoresque

1 correctione, L$- ; the other mss. have correptione.

a That is, to gain favour with influential men or their
advocates ; cf. Tib. xxxiii. 6 Cf. Nero, xvii.

• That is, all who sat in judgment on the same case.

* As censor.

• Dt ne/anda Ventre,

354

DOMITIAN

on the tribuna in the Forum. He rescinded such
decisions of the Hundred Judges as were made from
interested motives. He often warned the arbiters b
not to grant claims for freedom made under false
pretences. He degraded jurors who accepted bribes,
together with all their associates. He also induced
the tribunes of the commons to prosecute a corrupt
aedile for extortion, and to ask the senate to appoint
jurors in the case. He took such care to exercise
restraint over the city officials and the governors
of the provinces, that at no time were they more
honest or just, whereas after his time we have
seen many of them charged with all manner of
offences. Having undertaken the correction of public 83 a.d.
morals/* he put an end to the licence at the theatres,
where the general public occupied the seats reserved
for the knights ; did away with the prevailing
publication of scurrilous lampoons, in which dis-
tinguished men and women were attacked, and
imposed ignominious penalties on their authors ;
expelled an ex-quaestor from the senate, because
he was given to acting and dancing ; deprived
notorious women of the use of litters, as well as of
the right to receive inheritances and legacies ;
struck the name of a Roman knight from the list
of jurors, because he had taken back his wife
after divorcing her and charging her with adultery ;
condemned several men of both orders, offenders
against the Scantinian law ; e and the incest of Vestal
virgins, condoned even by his father and his brother,
he punished severely in divers ways, at first by
capital punishment, and afterwards in the ancient
fashion. For while he allowed the sisters Oculata
and also Varronilla free choice of the manner of

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earum relegasset, mox Corneliam maximam virgin em
absolutam olim, dein longo intervallo repetitam
atque convictam defodi imperavit stupratoresque
virgis in Comitio ad necem caedi, excepto praetorio
viro, cui, dubia etiam turn causa et incertis quaes-
tionibus atque tormentis de semet professo, exsilium
5 indulsit. Ac ne qua religio deum impune contami-
naretur, monimentum, quod libertus eius e lapidibus
templo Capitolini Iovis destinatis filio exstruxerat,
diruit per milites ossaque et reliquias quae inerant
mari mersit.

IX. Inter initia usque adeo ab omni caede abhor-
rebat, ut absente adhuc pat re recordatus Vergil i
versum :

"Impia quam caesis gens est epulata iu vends"

edicere destinarit, ne boves immolarentur. Cupidi-
tatis quoque atque avaritiae vix suspicionem ullam
aut privatus umquam aut princeps aliquamdiu
dedit, immo e diverso magna saepe non absti-
nentiae modo sed etiam liberalitatis experimenta.
2 Omnis circa se largissime prosecutus nihil prius
aut acrius monuit quam ne quid sordide facerent.
Relictas sibi hereditates ab iis, quibus liberi
erant, non recepit. Legatum etiam ex testa-
mento Rusti 1 Caepionis, qui caverat ut quotannis

1 Rusti, (Torrentius, Burman) ; rusci, XI.

• Qeorg. 2. 537.

356

DOMITIAN

their death, and banished their paramours, he later
ordered that Cornelia, a chief-vestal who had been
acquitted once but after a long interval again arraigned
and found guilty, be buried alive ; and her lovers were
beaten to death with rods in the Comitium, with the
exception of an ex-praetor, whom he allowed to
go into exile, because he admitted his guilt while
the case was still unsettled and the examination
and torture of the witnesses had led to no result.
To protect the gods from being dishonoured with
impunity by any sacrilege, he caused a tomb which
one of his freedmen had built for his son from stones
intended for the temple of Jupiter of the Capitol
to be destroyed by the soldiers and the bones and
ashes contained in it thrown into the sea.

IX. In the earlier part of his reign he so shrank
from any form of bloodshed, that while his father
was still absent from the city, he planned to issue an
edict that no oxen should be offered up, recalling
the line of Vergil,

" E'er yet an impious race did slay and feast upon
bullocks/ ' a

He was equally free from any suspicion of love of
gain or of avarice, both in private life and for some
time after becoming emperor ; on the contrary, he
often gave strong proofs not merely of integrity, but
even of liberality. He treated all his intimates
most generously, and there was nothing which he
urged them more frequently, or with greater insist-
ence, than that they should be niggardly in none of
their acts. He would not accept inheritances left
him by those who had children. He even annulled
a legacy in the will of Rustus Caepio, who had

357

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ingredientibus curiam senatoribus certam sumraam
viritim praestaret heres suus, irritum fecit. Reos,
qui ante quinquennium proximum apud aerarium
pependissent, universos discrimine liberavit nec
repeti nisi intra annum eaque condicione permisit,
ut accusatori qui causam non teneret exsilium poena
3 esset. Scribas quaestorios negotiantis ex consuetudine
sed contra Clodiam legem venia in praeteritum
donavit. Subsiciva, quae divisis per veteranos agris
carptim superfuerunt, veteribus possessoribus ut usu
capta concessit. Fiscales calumnias magna calum-
niantium poena repressit, ferebaturque vox eius :
" Princeps qui delatores non castigat, irritat."

X. Sed neque in clementiae neque in abstinentiae
tenore permansit, et tamen aliquanto celerius ad
saevitiam descivit quam ad cupiditatem. Discipulum
Paridis pantomimi impuberem 1 adhuc et cum
maxime aegrum, quod arte formaque non absimilis
magistro videbatur, occidit ; item Hermogenem
Tarsensem propter quasdam in historia figuras,
librariis etiam, qui earn descripserant, cruci. fixis.
Patrem familias, quod Thraecem murmilloni parem,
munerario imparem dixerat, detractum spectaculis
1 impuberem, Basle ed. of 1533 ; puberem,fl.

a Probably referring to new senators, entering the House
for the first time.

6 Nothing is known of this law. Livy, 21. 63. 3-4 men-
tions a law of Q. Claudius, which forbade senators to engage
in business, and that law may have had a chapter referring
to the scribae quaestorii and other " civil servants " ; or, as
some suppose, Publius Clodius may have passed such a law.

358

DOMITIAN

provided that his heir should yearly pay a specified
sum to each of the senators on his entrance into the
House. a He cancelled the suits against those who had
been posted as debtors to the public treasury for more
than five years, and would not allow a renewal except
within a year and on the condition that an accuser who
did not win his suit should be punished with exile.
Scribes of the quaestors who carried on business,
which had become usual although contrary to the
Clodian law, 6 he pardoned for past offences. Parcels
of land which were left unoccupied here and there
after the assignment of lands to the veterans he
granted to their former owners as by right of posses-
sion. He checked false accusations designed for
the profit of the privy purse 6 and inflicted severe
penalties on offenders ; and a saying of his was
current, that an emperor who does not punish
informers hounds them on.

X. But he did not continue this course of mercy
or integrity, although he turned to cruelty some-
what more speedily than to avarice. He put to
death a pupil of the pantomimic actor Paris, who
was still a beardless boy and ill at the time, because
in his skill and his appearance he seemed not unlike
his master ; d also Hermogenes of Tarsus because of
some allusions in his History, besides crucifying even
the slaves who had written it out. A householder who
said that a Thracian gladiator was a match for the
murmillo, but not for the giver of the games,* he
caused to be dragged from his seat and thrown into

c That is, charges which resulted in the confiscation of the
goods of the accused to the privy purse. d See chap. iii. 1.

* Implying unfairness on the part of Domitian, who
favoured the Thracians ; cf. Pliny, Paneg. xi. and xxxiii.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

in harenam canibus obiecit cum hoc titulo: "Impie
locutus parmularius."

2 Complures senatores, in iis aliquot consulares,
interemit; ex quibus Civicam Cerealem in ipso
Asiae proconsulate, Salvidienum Orfitum, Acilium
Glabrionem in 1 exsilio, quasi molitores rerum no varum,
ceteros levissima quemque de causa. Aelium
Lamiam ob suspiciosos quidem, verum et veteres et
innoxios iocos, quod post abductam 2 uxorem laudanti
vocem suam " Eutacto " dixerat quodque Tito hortanti
se ad alterum matrimonium responderat : kol <rv

3 ya/A^o-ai 0cA.€is; Salvium Cocceianum, quod Othonis
imperatoris patrui sui diem natalem celebraverat ;
Mettium Pompusianum, 8 quod habere imperatoriam
genesim vulgo ferebatur et quod depictum orbem
terrae in membrana 4 contionesque regum ac ducum
ex Tito Livio circumferret quodque servis nomina
Magonis et Hannibalis indidisset; Sallustium
Lucullum Britanniae legatum, quod lanceas novae
formae appellari Luculleas passus esset; Iunium
Rusticum, quod Paeti Thraseae et Helvidi 5 Prisci
laudes edidisset appellassetque eos sanctissimos
viros; cuius criminis occasione philosophos omnis

4 urbe Italiaque summovit. Occidit et Helvidi um
filium, quasi scaenico exodio sub persona Par id is et

1 in, added by Torrentius.

*■ abductam, TV; adductam, A.

8 Pompusianum, Both (c/. Ve&p. xiv.); Pomposianum, A.
4 membrana, Scrivtrius ; membranis, $- ; membranas, A.
■ Mace", Suttone, p. 413, would insert Herennium Senecionem
quod be/ore Helvidi.

a There is an added insult in parmularius^ "one armed
with the buckler," "a Thracian," as applied to a Roman
citizen {pattr familias).

360

DOMITIAN

the arena to dogs, with this placard : " A favourer of
the Thracians who spoke impiously." a

He put to death many senators, among them
several ex-consuls, including Civica Cerealis, at the
very time when he was proconsul in Asia, Salvidienus
Orfitus, Acilius Glabrio while he was in exile — these
on the ground of plotting revolution, the rest on any
charge, however trivial. He slew Aelius Lamia for
joking remarks, which were reflections on him, it is
true, but made long before and harmless. For when
Domitian had taken away Lamia's wife, & the latter
replied to someone who praised his voice : " I prac-
tise continence " ; c and when Titus urged him to
marry again, he replied : "Are you too looking for a
wife?" He put to death Salvius Cocceianus,
because he had kept the birthday of the emperor
Otho, his paternal uncle ; Mettius Pompusianus,
because it was commonly reported that he had an
imperial nativity and carried about a map of the world
on parchment and speeches of the kings and
generals from Titus Livius, besides giving two of his
slaves the names of Mago and Hannibal ; Sallustius
Lucullus, governor of Britain, for allowing some
lances of a new pattern to be called " Lucullean,"
after his own name ; Junius Rusticus, because he
had published eulogies of Paetus Thrasea and
Helvidius Priscus and called them the most upright
of men ; and on the occasion of this charge he
banished all the philosophers from the city and from
Italy. He also executed the younger Helvidius,
alleging that in a farce composed for the stage he
had under the characters of Paris and Oenone
* See chap. i. 3.

9 Part of a course of training ; cf . Nero, xx. 1.

361

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Oenones divortium suum cum uxore taxasset;
Flavium Sabinum alterum e patruelibus, quod euni
comitiorum consularium die destinatum perperam
praeco non consulem ad populum, sed imperatorem
pronuntiasset.

5 Verum aliquanto post civilis belli victoriam saevior,
plerosque partis adversae, dum etiam latentis
conscios investigate 1 novo quaestionis genere distorsit
immisso per obseaena igne ; nonnullis et manus
amputavit. Satisque constat duos solos e notioribus
venia donatos, tribunum laticlavium et centurionem
qui se, quo facilius expertes culpae ostenderent
impudicos probaverant et ob id neque apud ducem
neque apud milites ullius momenti esse potuisse.

XI. Erat autem non solum magnae, sed etiam
callidae inopinataeque saevitiae. Actorem 2 sum-
marum pridie quam cruci figeret in cubiculum
vocavit, assidere in toro iuxta coegit, securum
hilaremque dimisit, partibus etiam de cena dignatus
est. Arrecinum 8 Clementem consularem, unum e
familiaribus et emissariis suis, capitis condemnaturus
in eadem vel etiam maiore gratia habuit, quoad
novissime simul gestanti, conspecto delatore eius :
" Vis," inquit, " hunc nequissimum servum eras
audiamus ? "

2 Et quo contemptius abuteretur patientia hominum,
numquam tristiorem sententiam sine praefatione cle-
mentiae pronuntiavit, ut non aliud iam certius atrocis
exitus signum esset quam principii lenitas. Quosdam

1 investigat, Stephanus ; investigate*, XI ; per conscios in-
vestigates, Casaubon.

2 actorem, $- {Torrenlivs) ; auctorem, XI.

3 Arrecinum, n 1 QN ; arretinum, Q.

36a

DOMITIAN

censured Domitian's divorce from his wife ; Flavins
Sabinus too, one of his cousins, because on the day
of the consular elections the crier had inadvertently
announced him to the people as emperor elect,
instead of consul.

After his victory in the civil war he became even
more cruel, and to discover any conspirators who were
in hiding, tortured many of the opposite party by a
new form of inquisition, inserting fire in their privates ;
and he cut off the hands of some of them. It is certain
that of the more conspicuous only two were par-
doned, a tribune of senatorial rank and a centurion,
who the more clearly to prove their freedom from
guilt, showed that they were of shameless unchastity
and could therefore have had no influence with the
general or with the soldiers.

XI. His savage cruelty was not only excessive,
but also cunning and sudden. He invited one of
his stewards to his bed-chamber the day before
crucifying him, made him sit beside him on his
couch, and dismissed him in a secure and gay frame
of mind, even deigning to send him a share of his
dinner. When he was on the point of condemning
the ex-consul Arrecinius Clemens, one of his
intimates and tools, he treated him with as great
favour as before, if not greater, and finally, as he
was taking a drive with him, catching sight of his
accuser he said : " Pray, shall we hear this base
slave to-morrow ? "

To abuse men's patience the more insolently, he
never pronounced an unusually dreadful sentence
without a preliminary declaration of clemency, so
that there came to be no more certain indication
of a cruel death than the leniency of his preamble.

3 6 3

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maiestatis reos in curiam induxerat, et cum praedi-
xisset experturum se ilia die quam carus senatui
esset, facile perfecerat ut etiam more maiorum

3 puniendi condemnarentur ; deinde atrocitate poenae
conterritus, ad leniendam invidiam intercessit his
verbis — neque enim ab re fuerit ipsa cognoscere — :
"Permittite, patres conscripti, a pietate vestra
impetrari, quod scio me difficulter impetraturum, ut
damnatis liberum mortis arbitrium indulgeatis ; nam
et parcetis oculis vestris et intellegent me omnes
senatui interfuisse."

XII. Exhaustus operum ac munerum inpensis
stipendioque, quod adiecerat, temptavit quidem ad
relevandos castrenses sumptus numerum militum
deminuere ; sed cum et obnoxium se barbaris per
hoc animadverteret neque eo setius in explicandis
oneribus haereret, nihil pensi habuit quin praedaretur
omni modo. Bona vivorum ac mortuorum usque-
quaque quolibet et aocusatore et crimine corripie-
bantur. Satis erat obici qualecumque factum

2 dictumve 1 adversus maiestatem principis. Confisca-
bantur alienissimae hereditates vel uno exsistente,
qui diceret audisse se ex defuncto, cum viveret,
heredem sibi Caesarem esse. Praeter ceteros
Iudaicus fiscus acerbissime actus est ; ad quem
deferebantur, qui vel inprofessi 2 Iudaicam viverent

1 dictumve, 8$- ; dictumque, XI.

1 vel inprofessi, F. Gronov ; velut inprofessi, MGYb ;
velut professi, X.

a See Nero, xlix. 2.

* A tax of two drachmas a head, imposed by Titus in
return for free permission to practise their religion; 8ee

Josephus, Bell. Jud. 7. 6. G,
364

DOMITIAN

He had brought some men charged with treason
into the senate, and when he had introduced the
matter by saying that he would find out that day
how dear he was to the members, he had no diffi-
culty in causing them to be condemned to suffer
the ancient method of punishment.* Then appalled
at the cruelty of the penalty, he interposed a veto,
to lessen the odium, in these words (for it will be
of interest to know his exact language) : " Allow me,
Fathers of the senate, to prevail on you by your love
for me to grant a favour which I know I shall obtain
with difficulty, namely that you allow the condemned
free choice of the manner of their death ; for thus
you will spare your own eyes and all men will know
that I was present at the meeting of the senate."

XII. Reduced to financial straits by the cost of
his buildings and shows, as well as by the additions
which he had made to the pay of the soldiers, he
tried to lighten the military expenses by diminishing
the number of his troops ; but perceiving that in
this way he exposed himself to the attacks of the
barbarians, and nevertheless had difficulty in easing
his burdens, he had no hesitation in resorting to every
sort of robbery. The property of the living and the
dead was seized everywhere on any charge brought
by any accuser. It was enough to allege any action
or word derogatory to the majesty of the prince.
Estates of those in no way connected with him were
confiscated, if but one man came forward to declare
that he had heard from the deceased during his life-
time that Caesar was his heir. Besides other taxes,
that on the Jews b was levied with the utmost rigour,
and those were prosecuted who without publicly
acknowledging that faith yet lived as Jews, as well

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vitam vel dissimulate origine imposita genti tributa
non pependissent. Interfuisse me adulescentulum
memini, cum a procuratore frequentissimoque consilio
inspiceretur nonagenarius senex, an circumsectus
esset.

3 Ab iuventa minime civilis animi, con fid ens etiam
et cum verbis turn rebus immodicus, Caenidi patris
concubinae ex Histria reversae osculumque, ut
assuerat, offerenti manum praebuit; generum fratris
indigne ferens albatos et ipsum ministros habere,
proclamavit :

Ovk ayaObv iroXvKOipavtr).

XIII. Principatum vero adeptus neque in senatu
iactare dubitavit et patri se et fratri imperium
dedisse, illos sibi reddidisse, neque in reducenda
post divortium uxore edicere revocatam 1 earn in
pulvinar suum. Adclamari etiam in amphitheatre)
epuli die libenter audiit : " Domino et dominae
feliciter!" Sed et Capitolino certamine cunctos
ingenti consensu precantis, ut Palfurium Suram
restitueret pulsum olim senatu ac tunc de oratoribus
coronatum, nullo responso dignatus tacere tantum
2 modo iussit voce praeconis. Pari arrogantia, cum
procuratorum suorum nomine formalem dictaret
epistulam, sic coepit : " Dominus et deus noster hoc
fieri iubet." Unde institutum posthac, ut ne

1 revocatam, Salmasius ; vocatam, A.

a These were doubtless Christians, whom the Romans
commonly confounded with the Jews.

» See Vesp. iii. e Iliad. 2. 204.

d Pvlvinar here means the couch for the images of the
gods ; cf. Aug. xlv. 1. • See chap. iv. 5.

/ See note on Aug. liii. 1. 9 See chap. iv. 4.

366

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DOM1TIAN

as those who concealed their origin and did not pay
the tribute levied upon their peopled I recall being
present in my youth when the person of a man ninety
years old was examined before the procurator and a
very crowded court, to see whether he was circum-
cised.

From his youth he was far from being of an affable
disposition, but was on the contrary presumptuous
and unbridled both in act and in word. When his
father's concubine Caenis* returned from Histria
and offered to kiss him as usual, he held out his
hand to her. He was vexed that his brother's son-
in-law had attendants clad in white, as well as he,
and uttered the words

" Not good is a number of rulers." •

XIII. When he became emperor, he did not hesi-
tate to boast in the senate that he had conferred their
power on both his father and his brother, and that
they had but returned him his own ; nor on taking
back his wife after their divorce, that he had
"recalled her to his divine couch." d He delighted to
hear the people in the amphitheatre shout on his
feast day: c "Good Fortune attend out Lord/ and
Mistress." Even more, in the Capitoline competi-
tion/ when all the people begged him with great
unanimity to restore Palfurius Sura, who had been
banished some time before from the senate, and on
that occasion received the prize for oratory, he
deigned no reply, but merely had a crier bid them
be silent. With no less arrogance he began as follows
in issuing a circular letter in the name of his pro-
curators, " Our Master and our God bids that this be
done." And so the custom arose of henceforth

3*7

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

scripto quidem ac sermone cuiusquam appellaretur
aliter. Statuas sibi in Capitolio non nisi aureas
et argenteas poni permisit ac ponderis certi. Ianos
arcusque cum quadrigis et insignibus triumphorum
per regiones urbis tantos ac tot exstruxit, ut cui-
3 dam Graece inscriptum sit: "Arci." 1 Consulatus
septemdecim cepit, quot 2 ante eum nemo; ex
quibus septem medios continuavit, omnes autem
paene titulo tenus gessit nec quemquam ultra Kal.
Mai., plerosque ad Idus usque Ianuarias. Post autem
duos triumphos Germanici cognomine assumpto
Septembrem mensem et Octobrem ex appellationi-
bus suis Germanicum Domitianumque transnomina-
vit, quod altero suscepisset imperium, altero natus
esset.

XIV. Per haec terribilis cunctis et invisus, tandem
oppressus est insidiis 8 amicorum libertorumque inti-
morum simul et uxoris. Annum diemque ultimum
vitae iam pridem suspectum habebat, horam etiam
nec non et genus mortis. Adulescentulo Chaldaei
cuncta praedixerant ; pater quoque super cenam
quondam fungis abstinentem palam irriserat ut
ignarum sortis suae, quod non ferrum potius timeret.
2 Quare pavidus semper atque anxius minimis etiam
suspicionibus praeter modum commovebatur. Ut
edicti de excidendis vineis propositi gratiam faceret,

1 arci, MG8, — fy>*€t (Tumebus).

2 quot, ; quod, fl.

3 insidiis, G ; conspiratione, after intimorum, *fON.

• Arci is a transliteration of the Greek word iipicci with a
pun on its resemblance in sound to arcua, "arch."

368

DOMITIAN

addressing him in no other way even in writing or in
conversation. He suffered no statues to be set up in
his honour in the Capitol, except of gold and silver
and of a fixed weight. He erected so many and such
huge vaulted passage-ways and arches in the various
regions of the city, adorned with chariots and trium-
phal emblems, that on one of them someone wrote
in Greek: "It is enough."* He held the consulship n, 73, 77
seventeen times, more often than any of his pre- 82^8^ 9of'
decessors. Of these the seven middle ones were in 92 » 96 A D -
successive years, but all of them he filled in name
only, continuing none beyond the first of May and
few after the Ides of January. Having assumed
the surname Germanicus after his two triumphs, he
renamed the months of September and October from
his own names, calling them " Germanicus " and
" Domitianus," because in the former he had come
to the throne and was born in the latter.

XIV. In this way he became an object of terror
and hatred to all, but he was overthrown at last by a
conspiracy of his friends and favourite freedmen, to
which his wife was also privy. He had long since
had a premonition of the last year and day of his
life, and even of the very hour and manner of his
death. In his youth astrologers had predicted all
this to him, and his father once even openly ridiculed
him at dinner for refusing mushrooms, saying that he
showed himself unaware of his destiny in not rather
fearing the sword. Therefore he was at all times
timorous and worried, and was disquieted beyond
measure by even the slightest suspicions. It is
thought that nothing had more effect in inducing
him to ignore his proclamation about cutting down

VOL. II. B B

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

non alia magis re compulsus creditor, quam quod
sparsi libelli cum his versibus erant :

3 Eadem formidine oblatum a senatu novum et excogi-
tatum honorem, quamquam omnium talium appeten-
tissimus, recusavit, quo decretum erat ut, quotiens
gereret consulatum, equites R. quibus sors obtigisset,
trabeati et cum hastis militaribus praecederent eum
inter lictores apparitoresque.

4 Tempore vero suspecti periculi appropinquante
sollicitior in dies porticuum, in quibus spatiari consu-
erat, parietes phengite lapide distinxit, e cuius
splendore per imagines quidquid a tergo fieret
provideret. Nec nisi secreto atque solus plerasque
custodias, receptis quidem in manum catenis, audie-
bat. Utque domesticis persuaderet, ne bono quidem
exemplo audendam 2 esse patroni necem, Epaphrodi-
tum a libellis capitali poena condemnavit, quod post
destitutionem Nero in adipiscenda morte manu eius
adiutus existimabatur.

XV. Denique Flavium Clementem patruelem suum
contemptissimae inertiae, cuius filios etiam turn

1 K&r, Roth ; *at, A ; cf. C.I.L. iv. 3407, 6.
* audendam, pL* ; audi end am, A.

« See chap. vii. 2. 6 Cf. Ovid, Fasti, 1. 357.

A toga ornamented with horizontal stripes of purple,
worn by the knights on public occasions, as well as by the
early kings and the consuls ; Tac. Ann. 3. 2 ; Val. Max.
3. 2. 9.

d According to Pliny, N.H. 36. 163, a hard, white, trans-
lucent stone discovered in Cappodocia in the reign of Nero.
According to Tzetzes, Lyc. 98, fcyyirris = <t€AijWtiji, " moon-

Kav 1 fie <£a)77S iirl pCtpv, ofjoos eri Kapirof^op^croiy
6<r<rov c7TL(r7r€Lcrai <roi, rpdye, 0uo/x€vu>.

370

DOMITIAN

the vineyards a than the circulation of notes contain-
ing the following lines :

" Gnaw at my root, an you will ; even then shall I
have juice in plenty
To pour upon thee, O goat, when at the altar you
stand." *

It was because of this same timorousness that
although he was most eager for all such honours, he
refused a* new one which the senate had devised
and offered to him, a decree, namely, that whenever
he held the consulship Roman knights selected by
lot should precede him among his lictors and
attendants, clad in the trabea c and bearing lances.

As the time when he anticipated danger drew
near, becoming still more anxious every day, he
lined the walls of the colonnades in which he used to
walk with phengite stone, d to be able to see in its
brilliant surface the reflection of all that went on
behind his back. And he did not give a hearing
to any prisoners except in private and alone, even
holding their chains in his hands. Further, to con-
vince his household that one must not venture to
kill a patron even on good grounds, he condemned
Epaphroditus, his confidential secretaiy, to death,
because it was believed that after Nero was aban-
doned e the freedman's hand had aided him in taking
his life/

XV. Finally he put to death his own cousin
Flavius Clemens, suddenly and on a very slight
suspicion, almost before the end of his consulship ;

stone." Pliny also mentions similar mirrors of black obsidian ;
N.H. 36. 196.

e Cf. Nero, xl. 2. See Nero, xlix. 4.

b b 2

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

parvulos successores palam destinaverat abolitoque 1
priore nomine alteram Vespasianum appellari^
alteram Domitianum, repente ex tenuissima suspieione
tantum non in ipso eius consulatu interemit. Quo
maxime facto maturavit sibi exitium.

2 Continuis octo mensibus tot fulgura facta nuntia-
taque sunt, ut exclamaverit : " Feriat iam, quem
volet." Tactum de caelo Capitolium templumque
Flaviae gentis, item domus Palatina et cubiculum
ipsius, atque etiam e basi statuae triumphalis titulus
excussus vi procellae in monimentum proximum
decidit. Arbor, quae privato adhuc Vespasiano
e versa surrexerat, tunc rursus repente corruit.
Praenestina Fortuna, toto imperii spatio annum
novum commendanti laetam eandemque semper
sortem dare assueta, extremo tristissimam reddidit 2
nec sine sanguinis mentione.

3 Minervam, quam superstitiose colebat, somniavit
excedere sacrario negantemque 3 ultra se tueri eum
posse, quod exarmata esset a love. Nulla tamen re
perinde commotus est quam responso casuque Ascle-
tarionis 4 mathematici. Hunc delatum nec infitian-
tem iactasse se quae providisset ex arte, sciscitatus
est, quis ipsum maneret exitus ; et affirmantem fore

1 abolitoque, N ; et abolito, T; abolito, MGX (Bentley).

2 reddidit, T 7 ; the other mss have reddit.

* negantemque, mss. ; negantem, Stephanas ; negantem
quoque, Oudendorp ; lacuna before negantemque, Both,

4 Asclationis, F. Cumont, Cat. Codd. Astrol. Grate, v.
p. 205, n. 1.

° It was evidently on a metal plate, attached to the marble
base. 6 See Vesp. v. 4.

c Fortuna Primigenia ; of. Tib. lxiii. 1.

37«

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DOMITIAN

and yet Flavius was a man of most contemptible
laziness and Domitian had besides openly named his
sons, who were then very young, as his successors,
changing their former names and calling the one
Vespasian and the other Domitian. And it was by
this deed in particular that he hastened his own
destruction.

For eight successive months so many strokes of
lightning occurred and were reported, that at last he
cried : " Well, let him now strike whom he will." The
temple of Jupiter of the Capitol was struck and that
of the Flavian family, as well as the Palace and the
emperor's own bedroom. The inscription too on the
base of a triumphal statue of his was torn off in a
violent tempest and fell upon a neighbouring tomb.*
The tree which had been overthrown when Vespasian
was still a private citizen but had sprung up anew, 6
then on a sudden fell down again. Fortune of
Praeneste c had throughout his whole reign, when he
commended the new year to her protection, given
him a favourable omen and always in the same words.
Now at last she returned a most direful one, not
without the mention of bloodshed.

He dreamed that Minerva, whom he worshipped
with superstitious veneration, came forth from her
shrine and declared that she could no longer protect
him, since she had been disarmed by Jupiter. Yet
there was nothing by which he was so much dis-
turbed as a prediction of the astrologer Ascletarion
and what befell him. When this man was accused
before the emperor and did not deny that he had
spoken of certain things which he had foreseen
through his art, he was asked what his own end
would be. When he replied that he would shortly

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ut brevi laceraretur a canibus, interfici quidem sine
mora, sed ad coarguendam temeritatem artis sepeliri
quoque accuratissime imperavit. Quod cum fieret,
evenit ut repentina tempestate deiecto funere
semiustum cadaver discerperent canes, idque ei
cenanti a mimo Latino, qui praeteriens forte animad-
verterat, inter ceteras diei fabulas referretur.

XVI. Pridie quam periret, cum oblatos tubures
servari iussisset in crastinum, adiecit : " Si modo uti
licuerit," et con versus ad proximos affirmavit fore ut
sequenti die luna se in aquario cruentaret factumque
aliquod exsisteret, de quo loquerentur homines per
terrarum orbem. At circa mediam noctem ita est
exterritus, ut e strato prosiliret. Dehinc mane haru-
spicem ex Germania missum, qui consultus de fulgure
mutationem rerum praedixerat, audiit condemna-
2 vitque. Ac dum exulceratam in fronte verrucam
vehementius scalpit, profluente sanguine : " Utinam,"
inquit, "hactenus." Tunc horas requirenti pro quinta,
quam metuebat, sexta ex industria nuntiata est.
His velut transacto iam periculo laetum festinantem-
que ad corporis curam Parthenius cubiculo praepositus
convertit, nuntians esse qui magnum nescio quid

a Including the burning of the body, to prevent the fulfil-
ment of the prophecy.

374

DOMITIAN

be rent by dogs, Domitian ordered him killed at
once ; but to prove the fallibility of his art, he
ordered besides that his funeral be attended to with
the greatest care. a While this was being done, it
chanced that the pyre was overset by a sudden
storm and that the dogs mangled the corpse, which
was only partly consumed ; and that an actor of
farces called Latinus, who happened to pass by and
see the incident, told it to Domitian at the dinner
table, with the rest of the day's gossip.

XVI. The day before he was killed he gave
orders to have some apples which were offered
him kept until the following day, and added : " If
only I am spared to eat them " ; then turning to
his companions, he declared that on the following
day the moon would be stained with blood in
Aquarius, and that a deed would be done of which
men would talk all over the world. At about mid-
night he was so terrified that he leaped from his
bed. The next morning he conducted the trial of
a soothsayer sent from Germany, who when con-
sulted about the lightning strokes had foretold a
change of rulers, and condemned him to death.
While he was vigorously scratching a festered wart
on his forehead, and had drawn blood, he said :
"May this be all." Then he asked the time, and
by pre-arrangement the sixth hour was announced
to him, instead of the fifth, which he feared. Filled
with joy at this, and believing all danger now past,
he was hastening to the bath, when his chamberlain
Parthenius changed his purpose by announcing that
someone had called about a matter of great moment

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afferret, nec differendum. Itaque summotis omnibus
in cubiculum se recepit atque ibi occisus est.

XVII. De insidiarum caedisque genere haec fere
divulgata sunt. Cunctantibus conspiratis, quando et
quo modo, id est lavantemne an cenantem adgrede-
rentur, Stephanus, Domitillae procurator et tunc
interceptarum pecuniarum reus, consilium operam-
que obtulit. Ac sinisteriore brachio velut aegro
lanis fasciisque per aliquot dies ad avertendam
suspicionem obvoluto, sub ipsam horam dolonem 1
interiecit ; professusque conspirationis indicium et ob
hoc admissus legenti traditum a se libellum et
2 attonito sufFodit inguina. Saucium ac repugnantem
adorti Clodianus cornicularius et Maximus Partheni
libertus et Satur decurio cubiculariorum et quidam e
gladiatorio ludo vulneribus septem contrucidarunt.
Puer, qui curae Larum cubiculi ex consuetudine
assistens interfuit caedi, hoc amplius narrabat, iussum
se a Domitiano ad primum statim vulnus pugionem
pulvino subditum porrigere ac ministros vocare,
neque ad caput quidquam excepto capulo et praeterea
clausa omnia repperisse ; atque ilium interim arrepto
deductoque ad terram Stephano conluctatum diu,
dum modo ferrum extorquere, modo quanquam
laniatis digitis oculos efFodere conatur.

dolonem, Ferrarivs ; dolum, A ; dolo, 9,

* Niece of Domitian. * Se© Aug. vii. 1.

376

DOMITIAN

and would not be put off. Then he dismissed all
his attendants and went to his bedroom, where he
was slain.

XVII. Concerning the nature of the plot and the
manner of his death, this is about all that became
known. As the conspirators were deliberating when
and how to attack him, whether at the bath or at
dinner, Stephanus, Domitilla's a steward, at the time
under accusation for embezzlement, offered his aid
and counsel. To avoid suspicion, he wrapped up his
left arm in woollen bandages for some days, pre-
tending that he had injured it, and concealed in
them a dagger. Then pretending to betray a con-
spiracy and for that reason being given an audience,
he stabbed the emperor in the groin as he was
reading a paper which the assassin handed him, and
stood in a state of amazement. As the wounded
prince attempted to resist, he was slain with seven
wounds by Clodianus, a subaltern, Maximus, a freed-
man of Parthenius, Satur, decurion of the chamber-
lains, and a gladiator from the imperial school. A
boy who was engaged in his usual duty of attending
to the Lares in the bedroom, 5 and so was a witness
of the murder, gave this additional information. He
was bidden by Domitian, immediately after he was
dealt the first blow, to hand him the dagger hidden
under his pillow and to call the servants ; but he found
nothing at the head of the bed save the hilt, and
besides all the doors were closed. Meanwhile the
emperor grappled with Stephanus and bore him to
the ground, where they struggled for a long time,
Domitian trying now to wrest the dagger from his
assailant's hands and now to gouge out his eyes with
his lacerated fingers.

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3 Occisus est XI III. Kal. Octb. anno aetatis quadra-
gensimo quinto, imperii quinto decimo. Cadaver
eius populari sandapila per vispillones 1 exportatum
Phyllis 2 nutrix in suburbano suo Latina via funeravjt,
sed reliquias templo Flaviae gentis clam intulit
cineribusque Iuliae Titi filiae, quam et ipsam educa-
rat, conmiscuit.

XVIII. Statura ftiit procera, vultu modesto
ruborisque pleno, grandibus oculis, verum acie hebe-
tiore ; praeterea pulcher ac decens, maxime in
iuventa, et quidem toto corpore exceptis pedibus,
quorum digitos restrictiores habebat ; postea calvitio
quoque deformis et obesitate ventris et crurum graci-
litate, quae tamen ei valitudine longa remacruerant.

2 Commendari se verecundia oris adeo sentiebat, ut
apud senatum sic quondam iactaverit : " Usque adhuc
certe et animum meum probastis et vultum." Cal-
vitio ita offendebatur, ut in contumeliam suam
traheret, si cui alii ioco vel iurgio obiectaretur ;
quamvis libello, quern de cura capillorum ad amicum
edidit, haec etiam, simul ilium seque consolans,
inseruerit :

" Ov\ opaotSi 8 olos Kayo) koAos t€ /Ac'yas tc;
Eadem me tamen manent capillorum fata, et forti

1 vespiilones, Beroaldus. a Phyllis, ; Phyllix, &
3 6pqs, (L

• This in its connection suggests the blush of modesty, but
cf. Tac. Agr. 45, Ule vultus et rubor quo se contra pudorem
nmniebat ; and in general, Sen. Epist. 11. 3. Doubtless
Domitian'g ruddy complexion was a recommendation in his
youth.

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DOMITIAN

He was slain on the fourteenth day before the 8ept.i8,
Kalends of October in the forty-fifth year of his age 96 A,D '
and the fifteenth of his reign. His corpse was
carried out on a common bier by those who bury the
poor, and his nurse Phyllis cremated it at her
suburban estate on the Via Latina ; but his ashes she
secretly carried to the temple of the Flavian family
and mingled them with those of Julia, daughter of
Titus, whom she had also reared.

XVIII. He was tall of stature, with a modest '*
expression and a high colour.* His eyes were large,
but his sight was somewhat dim. He was handsome
and graceful too, especially when a young man, and
indeed in his whole body with the exception of his
feet, the toes of which were somewhat cramped. In
later life he had the further disfigurement of bald-
ness, a protruding belly, and spindling legs, though
the latter had become thin from a long illness. He
was so conscious that the modesty of his expression
was in his favour, that he once made this boast in
the senate : " So far, at any rate, you have approved
my heart and my countenance.' ' He was so sensi-
tive about his baldness, that he regarded it as a
personal insult if anyone else was twitted with that
defect in jest or in earnest ; though in a book " On
the Care of the Hair," which he published and
dedicated to a friend, he wrote the following by way
of consolation to the man and himself:

" Do you not see that I too am tall and comely to
look on ? b

And yet the same fate awaits my hair, and I bear
» Iliad, 21. 108.

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

animo fero comam in adulescentia senescentem.
Scias nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius."

XIX. Laboris impatiens pedibus per urbem non
temere ambulavit, in expeditione et agmine equo
rarius, lectica assidue vectus est. Armorum nullo,
sagittarum vel praecipuo studio tenebatur. Centenas
varii generis feras saepe in Albano secessu conficien-
tem spectayere plerique atque etiam ex industria ita
quarundam capita figentem, ut duobus ictibus quasi
cornua efficeret. Nonnumquam in pueri procul
stantis praebentisque pro scopulo dispansam dexterae
manus palmam sagittas tanta arte derexit, 1 ut omnes
per intervalla digitorum innocue evaderent.

XX. Liberalia studia imperii initio neglexit, quan-
quam bibliothecas incendio absumptas impensis-
sime reparare curasset, exemplaribus undique petitis
missisque Alexandream qui describerent emendarent-
que. Numquam tamen aut historiae carminibusve
noscendis operam ullam aut stilo vel necessario dedit.
Praeter commentarios et acta Tiberi Caesaris nihil
lectitabat ; epistulas orationesque et edicta alieno 2
formabat ingenio. Sermonis tamen nec inelegantis,
dictorum interdum etiam notabilium : " Vellem,"
inquit, "tarn formosus esse, quam Maecius sibi

1 derexit, 5- ; derexerit, Q ; the other mss. have direxit.
8 alieno, 5- ; alfeno, MOT ; the greater number of the X class
have alieno alfeno.

Cf . Tit. v. 2. The bow and arrow were not included by
the Romans in the term arma. b Cf. chap. ii. 2.

c The great library of Ptolemy Philadelphus at Alexandria
was destroyed during Caesar's Alexandrine war. The
Pergamene library was given by Antony to Cleopatra and
transferred to Alexandria, where it was kept in the temple

380

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DOMITIAN

with resignation the ageing of my locks in youth. Be
assured that nothing is more pleasing than beauty,
but nothing shorter-lived."

XIX. He was incapable of exertion and seldom
went about the city on foot, while on his campaigns
and journeys he rarely rode on horseback, but was
regularly carried in a litter. He took no interest
in arms, but was particularly devoted to archery."
There are many who have more than once seen him
slay a hundred wild beasts of different kinds on his
Alban estate, and purposely kill some of them with
two successive shots in such a way that the arrows
gave the effect of horns. Sometimes he would have
a slave stand at a distance and hold out the palm of
his right hand for a mark, with the fingers spread ;
then he directed his arrows with such accuracy that
they passed harmlessly between the fingers.

XX. At the beginning of his rule he neglected
liberal studies/ although he provided for having the
libraries, which were destroyed by fire/ renewed at
very great expense, seeking everywhere for copies of
the lost works, and sending scribes to Alexandria to
transcribe and correct them. Yet he never took any
pains to become acquainted with history or poetry, or
even to acquiring an ordinarily good style. He read
nothing except the memoirs and transactions of
Tiberius Caesar; for his letters, speeches and pro-
clamations he relied on others' talents. Yet his
conversation was not inelegant, and some of his
sayings were even noteworthy, "How I wish," said
he " that I were as fine looking as Maecius thinks he

of Serapis. It was frequently damaged during civil disturb-
ances. Burman thinks that the reference is to the latter ;
but the plural suggests both.

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videtur " ; et cuiusdam caput varietate capilli subru-
tilum et incanum perfusam nivem mulso dixit.

XXI. Condicionem principum miserrimam aiebat,
quibus de coniuratione comperta non crederetur nisi
occisis.

Quotiens otium esset, alea se oblectabat, etiam
profestis diebus matutinisque horis, ac lavabat de die
prandebatque ad satietatem, ut non temere super
cenam praeter Matianum malum et modicam in
ampulla potiunculam sumeret. Convivabatur fre-
quenter ac large, sed paene raptim ; certe non ultra
sol is occasum nec ut postea comissaretur. Nam ad
horam somni nihil aliud quam solus secreto
deambulabat.

XXII. Libidinis nimiae, assiduitatem concubitus
velut exercitationis genus clinopalen 1 vocabat ; erat-
que fama, quasi concubinas ipse develleret 2 nata-
retque inter vulgatissimas meretrices. Fratris filiam
ad hue virginem oblatam in matrimonium sibi cum
devinctus Domitiae nuptiis pertinacissime recusasset,
non multo post alii conlocatam corrupit ultro et
quidem vivo etiam turn Tito ; mox patre ac viro
orbatam ardentissime palamque dilexit, ut etiam
causa mortis exstiterit coactae conceptum a se
abigere.

1 clinopalem, ft.

2 develleret, O ; the other m88. have divelleret.
° Named after C. Matius, a friend of Augustus and a

* Cf. Juv. ii. 32 f.

DOMITIAN

is." He declared too that the head of a certain man,
whose hair had changed colour in such a way that it
was partly reddish and partly grey, was like " snow on
which mead had been poured/ '

XXI. He used to say that the lot of princes was
most unhappy, since when they discovered a con-
spiracy, no one believed them unless they had been
killed.

Whenever he had leisure he amused himself with
playing at dice, even on working days and in the
morning hours. He went to the bath before the
end of the forenoon and lunched to the point
of satiety, so that at dinner he rarely took anything
except a Matian apple a and a moderate amount
of wine from a jug. He gave numerous and
generous banquets, but usually ended them early ;
in no case did he protract them beyond sunset,
or follow them by a drinking bout. In fact, he did
nothing until the hour for retiring except walk alone
in a retired place.

XXII. He was excessively lustful. His constant
sexual intercourse he called bed-wrestling, as if it
were a kind of exercise. It was reported that he
depilated his concubines with his own hand and
swam with common prostitutes. After persistently
refusing his niece, who was offered him in marriage
when she was still a maid, because he was entangled
in an intrigue with Domitia, he seduced her shortly
afterwards when she became the wife of another,
and that too during the lifetime of Titus. Later,
when she was bereft of father and husband, he
loved her ardently and without disguise, and even
became the cause of her death by compelling her to
get rid of a child of his by abortion. 6

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THE LIVES OF THE CAESARS, BOOK VIII

XXIII. Occisum eum populus indifferenter, miles
gravissime tulit statimque Divum appellare conatus
est, paratus et ulcisci, nisi duces defuissent ; quod
quid em paulo post fecit expostulatis ad poenam
pertinacissime caedis auctoribus. Contra senatus
adeo laetatus est, ut repleta certatim curia non
temperaret, quin mortuum contumeliosissimo atque
acerbissimo adclamationum genere laceraret, scalas
etiam inferri clipeosque et imagines eius coram
detrahi et ibidem solo affligi iuberet, novissime
eradendos ubique titulos abolendamque omnem
memoriam decerneret.
2 Ante paucos quam occideretur menses cornix in
Capitolio elocuta est : lorai 7ravra KaXws, nec defuit
qui ostentum sic interpretaretur :

" Nuper Tarpeio quae sedit culmine cornix
' Est bene ' non potuit dicere, dixit : 6 Erit.' "

Ipsum etiam Domitianum ferunt somniasse gibbam
sibi pone cervicem auream enatam, pro certoque
habuisse beatiorem post se laetioremque portendi rei
publicae statum, 1 sicut sane brevi evenit abstinentia
et moderatione insequentium principum.

1 rerum statum publice, M ; rei statum publicae, O ;
statum rei publicae, X.

° Votive shields, adorned with the emperor's image ; see
CaZig. xvi. 4. b Cf. Plin. Paneg. lii.

The Capitoline hill was sometimes called mom Tapeius,
from the Tarpeian Rock at its south-west corner. It was

384

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DOMITIAN

XXIII. The people received the news of his death
with indifference, but the soldiers were greatly
grieved and at once attempted to call him the
Deified Domitian ; while they were prepared also to
avenge him, had they not lacked leaders. This,
however, they did accomplish a little later by most
insistently demanding the execution of his mur-
derers. The senators on the contrary were so
overjoyed, that they raced to fill the House, where
they did not refrain from assailing the dead emperor
with the most insulting and stinging kind of out-
cries. They even had ladders brought and his
shields a and images torn down before their eyes and
dashed upon the ground ; finally they passed a
decree that his inscriptions should everywhere be
erased, and all record of him obliterated. 6

A few months before he was killed, a raven
perched on the Capitolium and cried "All will be
well," an omen which some interpreted as follows :

"High on the gable Tarpeian* a raven but lately
alighting,

Could not say tf It is well,' only declared € It will
be/ "

Domitian himself, it is said, dreamed that a golden
hump grew out on his back, and he regarded
this as an infallible sign that the condition of the
empire would be happier and more prosperous after
his time ; and this was shortly shown to be true
through the uprightness and moderate rule of the
succeeding emperors.

not, however, the original name of the hill, as some Roman
antiquarians supposed!

385

VOL. II. C C

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y Google

PART II

THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

c c 2

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PREFATORY NOTE

The manuscripts of the Dialogus and Agricola of
Tacitus contain also a treatise "On Grammarians
and Rhetoricians/' attributed to Suetonius. This
work was used by Gellius (Noct. Alt. 15. 11) and by
Hieronymus, but after the latter s day was lost for
many centuries.

About the middle of the fifteenth century, 1 in the
course of a journey through Germany and Denmark,
Enoc of Ascoli 2 found the two works of Tacitus
and the treatise on Grammarians and Rhetoricians,
apparently at Hersfeld and in a single codex, and
brought them to Italy. This codex is now lost, 3
but some eighteen copies of the De Grammaticis ct
Rketoribus are in existence, all belonging to the
fifteenth century, which show remarkable differences
in reading, considering that they are derived from
a single archetype, and are separated from it by so
short a time. These manuscripts, not all of which
have been collated, fall into two classes, distinguished
from each other by the presence or absence of the
index of names at the beginning of the treatise.

1 The date is variously given : 1455, Teuffel, Oesch. d.
rOm. LU. 6 ; 1457-8, Gudeman, Qrund. z. Oesch. d. kl.
Phil.; etc.

2 Enoc's discovery of this manuscript has been doubted by
some, but is now accepted by most scholars.

8 Except for one quatemio, now at Esinus (Jesi).

388

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PREFATORY NOTE

Roth in his edition of 1858 asserted the superiority
of the former class, and Ihm is inclined to agree with
him. 1 For a list of the better codices with their sigla
see p. 395.

Owing to the late date of all the manuscripts, the
early printed editions are of some value in the
criticism of the text ; see the Bibliographical Note,
p. 394.

The work begins with an index, containing a list
of the grammarians and rhetoricians who are to be
discussed, which, as has been said, is omitted by
some of the manuscripts. This is followed by an
introduction on the origin and development of
grammatical studies at Rome, and the connection
of grammar with rhetoric, after which the individual
representatives of the subject are treated. The
part devoted to rhetoricians also begins with an
introduction on the history of the study, but the
work comes to an end after dealing with five of the
fifteen persons named in the index.

It has been generally recognized that this treatise
on " Grammarians and Rhetoricians " formed part
of a larger work by Suetonius, entitled De Viris
Ilkistribus, which treated of Romans who were
eminent in the field of literature. 2 It seems to
have consisted of five divisions, devoted respectively
to Poets, Orators, Historians, Philosophers, and
Grammarians and Rhetoricians under one head.
The order of the various divisions, or books, cannot
be determined. 3

1 Bhein. Museum, 61 (1906), p. 643.

2 See Volume I, p. xi.

3 Hieronymus used the De Viris Ulustribus of Suetonius
as his model in the composition of a work of the same title,

389

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

To judge from the personages treated by Suetonius
and those whom he omits, the De Viris Illustribus
appears to have been written between 106 and 113.
It was therefore his earliest work, and is in all
probability the one to which Pliny refers. 1 As was
the case with the Lives of the Caesars, he apparently
set as his limit the close of the reign of Domitian,
so that Juvenal, Tacitus and the younger Pliny were
not included.

While the greater part of the De Viris Illustribus
has been lost, some passages of considerable length,
in addition to the " Grammarians and Rhetoricians,"
have been recovered from various sources. These
consist of Lives of various Roman writers, prefixed
to their works by way of introduction. 2 None of
these has come down to us in its original form, and
they differ greatly in the amount of abridgment or
of interpolation to which they have been subjected.
Those which may properly be included in an edition
of Suetonius are the following.

From the book on Poets (De Poetis), to which an
index of thirty-three names has been compiled from
the references in Hieronymus, 3 we have a Life of
Terence, preserved in the Commentary of Aelius
Donatus, of the fourth century, and ascribed by

devoted to the worthies of the Church, as well as in his
translation and enlargement of the " Chronicle " of Eusebius.
From the latter numerous fragments of the De Viris
IUu8tribu8 of Suetonius have been recovered, and the general
plan of his work made out.

1 See Volume I, p. x, footnote 1.

2 For the manuscripts and their sigla see pp. 450 and
451.

3 This is given on p. 450.
39°

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PREFATORY NOTE

him to Suetonius. A Life of Horace, which is found
in some of the manuscripts, is not directly attributed
to Suetonius, but is believed to be his because of
the occurrence in it of certain statements which are
credited to Suetonius by the scholiasts. 1 A very
fragmentary Life of Lucan is assigned to Suetonius
also on internal evidence.

With regard to the ultimate authorship of these
three Lives there is little, if any, difference of
opinion. With regard to three others the agreement
is not so general, but they are assigned to Suetonius
by some scholars. These are the Life of Vergil,
in Donatus' Commentary, where it is followed
by an introduction to the Bucolics from Donatus'
own hand ; a Life of Tibullus, greatly abridged ;
and a Life of Persius. The last is directly attributed
to Valerius Probus, but in spite of this is believed
by many to be Suetonian. 2

The discussion of the varieties of poetry, found in
Diomedes, Grammatici Latini, i. 482. 14 ff. K., was
assigned to Suetonius by Reifferscheid and printed
in his edition of 1860. Schanz also includes this
among the fragments of the De Viris Illustribus,*
but on insufficient grounds; see Teuffel, Geschickte
der rbmischen Literatur, 6th ed., iii., p. 57 and the
literature there cited.

From the Orators (De Oratoribus), with an index
of fifteen names, only the brief abstract of the Life
of Passienus Crispus has come down to us, preserved
in the scholia Pithoeana on Juvenal 4. 81, where

1 See for example Porphyrio on Epist. 2. 1. 1.

2 See especially 6. Kortge, In Suet, de Viris HI. libros
Inquisitionum Caput Primum, Balis Saxonum, 1899, pp. 41 ff.

* Ge8ch. d. r&m. IAtt. % in Midler's Handbuch, viii. 3, p. 53.

39i

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Passienus is confused with Vibius Crispus. Although
his source is not given by the scholiast, the Life is
generally attributed to Suetonius. Since in the ex-
cerpts from the De Oratoribus made by Hieronymus
we find no orator earlier than Cicero, it has been
inferred that Suetonius began his biographies with
Cicero and treated the earlier orators in a general
introduction.

From the Historians, with an index of six names,
we have only the Life of Pliny the Elder, which
is attributed to Suetonius in the manuscripts which
contain it. Here Suetonius seems to have begun
with Sallust, discussing the earlier historians in his
introduction.

From the De Pkilosophis we have only an index
of three names, Marcus Terentius Varro, Publius
Nigidius Figulus, and Lucius Annaeus Seneca, which
have been recovered from Hieronymus.

As in the Lives of the Caesars, Suetonius' sources
for the Lives of Illustrious Men were in the main
literary, in particular Varro, the previous writers
of books of the same title (Nepos, Santra and
Hyginus), Asconius and Fenestella. In part through
these writers, and perhaps in part directly, his
work goes back to the Greek authors Antigonus
of Carystos, Aristoxenes, Satyros, and Hermippos.
He also made some use of private letters, public
documents, hearsay evidence and personal recol-
lection.

The Text of the De Gravimaticis et Rhetoribus is in
a less satisfactory condition than that of the Caesars.
Some manuscripts of the better class have not yet
been collated, and Ihm's untimely death has pre-
vented or indefinitely postponed the publication of

39*

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PREFATORY NOTE

the second volume of his edition with the text of
the fragments. New recensions of the Lives have
appeared in various editions of the authors in
question and one of the Life of Vergil by E. Diehl
in the Kleine Texte f ur theologische und lihilologische
Voriesungen und Uebungen, Bonn, 1911.

393

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BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

There are three editions of the De Grammatids et
Rhetoribus that rank as principes: one of uncertain
authorship and date, believed by some to have been
published by Nicolas Jensen at Venice in 1472, a
Venetian edition of 1474, and one issued at Florence
in 1478. Other early editions are the Aldine, 1508,
based upon the three principes, and those of
R. Stephanus, E. Vinetus, and Achilles Statius.
In more recent times separate editions have been
published by L. Tross, 1841, Fr. Osann, Giessen,
1854, L. Roth, Leipzig, 1858, and A. Reifferscheid,
Leipzig, 1860. The last two are still the standard
texts. The De Viris Illustribus was first published
with the Caesars by Antonius Gryphius at Lyons in
1566 and Th. Pulmann at Antwerp, in 1574. They
were followed by Casaubon, and his edition, as well
as others of those mentioned on p. xxvii of Volume I,
contains the fragments. In 1863 H. Doergens
published an edition at Leipzig with a German trans-
lation and a commentary. The only translation
into English, so far as I know, is that of T. Forester
in the Bohn library ; see Volume I, p. xxviii.

3*4

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DE GRAMMATICIS ET
RHETORIBUS

Several of the better manuscripts have before or
after the title the following Index : Grammatici :
[Aelius Praeconius], 1 Saevius Nicanor, Aurelius
Opilius, M. Antonius Gnipho, M. Pompilius Andro-
nicus, L. Orbilius (Pupillus), L. Ateius Philologus,
P. Valerius Cato, Cornelius Epicadius, (Staberius
Eros), Curtius Nicias, Lenaeus, Q. Caecilius (Epirota),
M. Verrius Flaccus, L. Crassicius, Scribonius
Aphrodisius, C. Iulius Hyginus, C. Melissus,
M. Pomponius Marcellus, Q. Remmius Palaemon,
(M.) Valerius Probus. Rhetores : (L.) Plotius Gallus,
L. Voltacilius Plotus, M. Epidius, Sex. Clodius,
C. Albucius Silus, L. Cestius Pius, M. Porcius
Latro, Q. Curtius Rufus, L. Valerius Primanus,
Verginius Flavus, L. Statius Ursulus, P. Clodius
Quirinalis, M. Antonius Liberalis, Sex. Iulius
Gabinianus, M. Fabius Quintilianus, [M. Tullius
Tiro]. 2

The following Sigla are used: V = codex Vati-
canus, 1862; L = codex Leidensis, formerly Perizoni-
anus; N = codex Neapolitanus, formerly Farnesianus;
= codex Ottobonianus, 1455 ; G = codex Gudianus,
93; I = codex Vaticanus, 1518 ; W = codex Vindo-
bonensis, 711 (see Ihm, Rk. Mus. 61. 543 ff.).

1 The names in brackets are omitted by Reifferscheid ;
those in parenthesis are added by him.

2 Iulius Tiro, mss,

395

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DE GRAMMATICIS

I. Grammatica Romae ne in usu quidem olim,
nedum in honore ullo erat, rudi scilicet ac bellicosa
etiam turn civitate, necdum magnopere liberalibus
disciplinis vacante. Initium quoque eius mediocre
exstitit, siquidem antiquissimi doctorum, qui iidem 1
et poetae et semigraeci erant (Livium et Ennium
dico, quos utraque lingua domi forisque docuisse
adnotatum est) nihil amplius quam Graecos inter-
pretabantur, aut si quid ipsi Latine composuissent
praelegebant. Nam quod nonnulli tradunt duos
libros " De Litteris Syllabisque," item " De Metris "
ab eodem Ennio editos, iure arguit L. Cotta non
poetae sed posterioris Ennii esse, cuius etiam " De
Augurandi Disciplina " volumina ferantur.

II. Primus igitur, quantum opinamur, studium
grammaticae in urbem intulit Crates Mallotes, Ari-
starchi aequalis, qui missus ad senatum ab Attalo
rege inter secundum ac tertium Punicum bellum
sub ipsam Ennii mortem, cum regione Palatii pro-
lapsus in cloacae foramen crus fregisset, per omne
legationis simul et valitudinis tempus plurimas

1 qui iidem, Stephanus ; qui idem, Lachmann ; quidem,
VLOIG ; quidam, N.

° See note on Tib. lxx. 3.

6 Livius Andronicus came from Tarentum, and Ennius was
a native of Rudiae in Calabria.

396

ON GRAMMARIANS-

I. The study of Grammar was not even pursued at
Rome in early days, still less held in any esteem ; and
naturally enough, since the state was then still uncul-
tivated and given to war, and had as yet little leisure
for liberal pursuits. The beginnings of the subject,
too, were humble, for the earliest teachers, who were
also both poets and Italian b Greeks (I refer to Livius
and Ennius, who gave instruction in both tongues at
home and abroad, as is well known), did no more
than interpret the Greeks or give readings from
whatever they themselves had composed in the Latin
language. For while some tell us that this same
Ennius published a book « On Letters and Syllables "
and another " On Metres," Lucius Cotta is right in
maintaining that these were not the work of the
poet, but of a later Ennius, who is also the author
of the volumes " On the Science of Augury."

II. In my opinion then, the first to introduce the
study of grammar into our city was Crates of Mallos,
a contemporary of Aristarchus. He was sent to the
senate by king Attalus between the second and third
Punic wars, at about the time when Ennius died ; 169 b.c.
and having fallen into the opening of a sewer in the
Palatine quarter and broken his leg, he held numerous

and frequent conferences during the whole time both
of his embassy and of his convalescence, at which he

397

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

acroasis subinde fecit assidueque disseruit, ac nostris
exemplo fuit ad imitandum. Hactenus tamen imi-
tati, ut carmina parum adhuc divolgata vel de-
functorum amicorum vel si quorum aliorum prb-
bassent, diligentius retractarent ac legendo commen-
tandoque etiam 1 ceteris nota facerent; ut C. Octavius
Lampadio Naevii " Punicum Bellum/' quod uno
volumine et continenti scriptura expositum divisit in
septem libros ; ut postea Q. Vargunteius Annales
Ennii, quos certis diebus in magna frequentia
pronuntiabat ; ut Laelius Archelaus Vettiusque
Philocomus Lucilii saturas familiaris sui, quas legisse
se apud Archelaum Pompeius Lenaeus, apud Philo-
comum Valerius Cato praedicant.

III. Instruxerunt auxeruntque ab omni parte
grammaticam L. Aelius Lanuvinus generque Aelii
Ser. Clodius, uterque eques Ro. multique ac varii et
in doctrina et in re p. usus. Aelius cognomine
duplici fuit; nam et Praeconinus, 2 quod pater eius
praeconium fecerat, vocabatur, et Stilo, 8 quod ora-
tiones nobilissimo cuique scribere solebat; tantum
optimatium fautor, ut Metellum 4 Numidicum in
exsilium comitatus sit. Servius, cum librum soceri
nondum editum fraude intercepisset, et ob hoc
repudiatus pudore ac taedio secessisset ab urbe, in
podagrae morbum incidit ; cuius impatiens veneno

1 etiam, NGOIW; et, VL.

2 Praeconinu8, Beroaldus ; Praeconius or Preconius, mss.

3 Stilo, Stephanies ; istilo, m88.

4 Metellum, W (Roth) ; the other mss. have M. Metellum.
° praeco.

b From stylus, an instrument for writing ; see note on Jul..
lxxxii. 2.

398

ON GRAMMARIANS

constantly gave instruction, and thus set an example
for our countrymen to imitate. Their imitation,
however, was confined to a careful criticism of poems
which had as yet but little circulation, either those of
deceased friends or others that met with their
approval, and to making them known to the public
by reading and commenting on them. For example,
Gaius Octavius Lampadio thus treated the " Punic
War " of Naevius, which was originally written in a
single volume without a break, but was divided by
Lampadio into seven books. At a later time Quintus
Vargunteius took up the " Annals " of Ennius, which
he expounded on set days to large audiences; and
Laelius Archelaus and Vettius Philocomus the satires
of their friend Lucilius, which Lenaeus Pompeius
prides himself on having read with Archelaus, and
Valerius Cato with Philocomus.

III. The foundations of the study were laid, and it
was advanced in all directions, by Lucius Aelius of
Lanuvium and his son-in-law Servius Clodius, both
of whom were Roman knights and men of wide and
varied experience in scholarship and statecraft.

Aelius had two surnames, for he was called
Praeconinus because his father had followed the
occupation of a crier, a and Stilo 6 because he used
to- write speeches for all the great men of the
day ; and he was so devoted to the aristocratic
party, that he accompanied Metellus Numidicus into
exile.

Servius stole one of his father-in-law's books before
it was published, and being in consequence disowned,
left the city through shame and remorse, and fell ill
of the gout. Unable to endure the pain, he applied
a poisonous drug to his feet, which finally killed him,

399

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

sibi perunxit pedes et enecuit ita, ut parte ea corporis
quasi praemortua 1 viveret.

Posthac magis ac magis et gratia et cura artis
increvit, ut ne clarissimi quidem viri abstinuerint quo
minus et ipsi aliquid de ea scriberent, utque tem-
poribus quibusdam super viginti celebres scholae
fuisse in urbe tradantur ; pretia vero grammaticorum
tanta mercedesque tam magnae, ut constet Lutatium
Daphnidem, quern Laevius Melissus per cavillatio-
nem nominis Panos ay dm} pa 2 dicit, DCC. milibus
nummum a Q. Catulo emptum ac brevi manumis-
sum, L. Appuleium ab Eficio Calvino equite Romano
praedivite quadringenis annuis conductum 3 multos
edoceret. Nam in provincias quoque grammatica
penetraverat, ac nonnulli de notissimis doctoribus
peregre docuerunt, maxime in Gallia Togata ; inter
quos Octavius Teucer et Pescennius 4 Iaccus et
Oppius Chares ; hie quidem ad ultimam aetatem,
et cum iam non ingressu modo deficeretur sed et
visu.

IV. Appellatio grammaticorum Graeca consuetudine
invaluit; sed initio litterati vocabantur. Cornelius
quoque Nepos libello quo distinguit litteratum ab
erudito, litteratos quidem vulgo appellari ait eos qui

1 praemortua, Stephanus ; praemortui or premortui, mss.

2 aydirrjfxa, Toup (Reifferscheid) ; £700710, Baum.-Crusius
(Both).

3 conductum, Reifferscheid ; conductos, except O,
which has conductum ut.

4 Pescennius, Roth ; Sescennius or Fescennius, mss.

The pun consists in likening him to the Sicilian Daphnia,
the "ideal shepherd," whom Pan taught to play the
shepherd's pipe. If we read Hyaena, the meaning is "the
prodigy (or 'wonder-child') of Pan." The early commen-
tators saw a reference to Pan's love for the flocks and

400

ON GRAMMARIANS

after he had lived for a time with that part of his
body as it were prematurely dead.

After this the science constantly grew in favour
and popularity, so much so that even the most
eminent men did not hesitate to make contributions to
it, while at times there are said to have been more
than twenty well-attended schools in the city.
The grammarians too were so highly esteemed, and
their compensation was so ample, that Lutatius
Daphnis, whom Laevius Melissus, punning on his
name, often called the " darling of Pan," ° is known
to have been bought for seven hundred thousand
sesterces and soon afterwards set free, while Lucius
Appuleius was hired for four hundred sesterces a
year by Eficius Calvinus, a wealthy Roman knight,
to teach a large school.*

In fact, Grammar even made its way into the
provinces, and some of the most famous teachers
gave instruction abroad, especially in Gallia Togata,
including Octavius Teucer, Pescennius Iaccus and
Oppius Chares ; indeed the last named taught until
the very end of his life, when he could no longer
walk, or even see.

IV. The term grammaticus became prevalent
through Greek influence, but at first such men were
called liiterati. Cornelius Nepos, too, in a little book
in which he explains the difference between litteratus
and eruditus d says that the former is commonly

shepherds (cf. Verg. Buc. ii. 33.) and an implication that
Lutatius was rusticus or ptcus.

b The text is certainly corrupt and the meaning is un-
certain ; see Ihm, Bh. Mus. 61, p. 550.

c " Men of letters," from littera, while grammaticus is from
the corresponding Greek word ypd/i/xa.

d " Man of learning, scholar."

401

VOL. II. D D

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

aliquid diligenter 1 et acute scienterque possint aut
dicere aut scribere, ceterum proprie sic appellandos
poetarum interpretes, qui a Graecis grammatici nomi-
nentur. Eosdem litteratores vocitatos Messala Cor-
vinus in quadam epistula ostendit, non esse sibi
dicens rem cum Furio Bibaculo, ne cum Ticida
quidem aut litteratore Catone ; significat enim haud
dubie Valerium Catonem, poetam simul grammati-
cumque notissimum. Sunt qui litteratum a littera-
tore distinguant, ut Graeci grammaticum a
grammatista, et ilium quidem absolute, hunc medio-
criter doctum existiment. Quorum opinionem
Orbilius etiam exemplis confirmat; namque apud
maiores ait, cum familia alicuius venalis produceretur,
non temere quern litteratum in titulo, sed littera-
torem inscribi solitum esse, quasi non perfectum
litteris, sed imbutum.

Veteres grammatici et rhetoricam docebant, ac
multorum de utraque arte commentarii feruntur.
Secundum quam consuetudinem posteriores quoque
existimo, quanquam iam discretis professionibus,
nihilo minus vel retinuisse vel instituisse et ipsos
quaedam genera meditationum 2 ad eloquentiam
praeparandam, ut problemata, paraphrasis, allocu-
tiones, ethologias 3 atque alia hoc genus ; ne scilicet
sicci omnino atque aridi pueri rhetoribus traderentur.
Quae quidem omitti iam video, desidia quorundam et
infantia ; non enim fastidio putem. Me quidem

1 aliquid diligenter, NOIOW ; diligenter aliquid, VL.
a meditationum, OW, G in margin, N as correction (cf.
Qell. xx. 5. 2) ; the other mss. have institutionnm.
8 ethologias, Beroaldus ; aethiologias, mss.

* Sicci and aridi both mean " dry, juiceless."

402

ON GRAMMARIANS

applied to those who can speak or write on any subject
accurately, cleverly and with authority ; but that it
should strictly be used of interpreters of the poets,
whom the Greeks call grammatici. That these were
also called litteratores is shown by Messala Corvinus in
one of his letters, in which he says : " I am not
concerned with Furius Bibaculus, nor with Ticidas
either, or with the litterator Cato." For he un-
questionably refers to Valerius Cato, who was famous
both as a poet and as a grammarian. Some however
make a distinction between litter atus and litterator, as
the Greeks do between grammaticus and grammatista,
using the former of a master of his subject, the
latter of one moderately proficient. Orbilius too
supports this view by examples, saying : " In the
days of our forefathers, when anyone's slaves were
offered for sale, it was not usual except in special
cases to advertise any one of them as litteratiis but
rather as litterator, implying that he had a smattering
of letters, but was not a finished scholar."

The grammarians of early days taught rhetoric
as well, and we have treatises from many men on
both subjects. It was this custom, I think, which
led those of later times also, although the two
professions had now become distinct, nevertheless
either to retain or to introduce certain kinds of
exercises suited to the training of orators, such as
problems, paraphrases, addresses, character sketches
and similar things; doubtless that they might not
turn over their pupils to the rhetoricians wholly
ignorant and unprepared.* But I observe that such
instruction is now given up, because of the lack of
application and the youth of some of the pupils ; for
I do not believe that it is because the subjects are

403

D D 2

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

adolescentulo, repeto quendam Principem nomine
alternis diebus declamare, alternis disputare, non-
nullis vero mane 1 disserere, post meridiem remoto
pulpito declamare solitum. Audiebam etiam,
memoria patrum quosdam e grammatici statim ludo
transisse in Forum atque in numerum praestantissi-
monim patronorum receptos.

Clari professores et de quibus prodi possit aliquid
dum taxat a nobis, fere hi fuerunt.

V. Saevius Nicanor primus ad famam dignationem-
que docendo pervenit, fecitque praeter commentarios,
quorum tamen pars maxima intercepta dicitur,
saturam quoque, in qua libertinum se ac duplici
cognomine esse per haec indicat :

" Saevius Nicanor Marci libertus negabit ;
Saevius Posthumius vero 2 idem ac Marcus
docebit."

Sunt qui tradant, ob infamiam quandam eum in
Sardiniam secessisse ibique diem obisse.

VI. Aurelius Opilius, Epicurei cuiusdam libertus,
philosophiam primo, deinde rhetoricam, novissime
grammaticam docuit. Dimissa autem schola,
Rutilium Rufum damnatum in Asiam secutus, ibidem
Smyrnae 3 simul consenuit, composuitque variae
eruditionis aliquot volumina, ex quibus novem unius

1 vero mane] mane vero, mss.

2 Posthumius vero, E. E. Brewster, in Class. Phil. x. pp.
84 ff. ; post huius, VL ; posthus, ; post hoc, Q ; post h',

3 Zmyrnae, V.

a The text and the meaning are uncertain, but it is obvious
from the preceding sentence that we must have two cog-
nomina. The mairs name appears to have been M. Saevius
Postumius Nicanor. Thus he was Saevius Nicanor, Saevius

404

ON GRAMMARIANS

underrated. I remember that at any rate when I
was a young man, one of these teachers, Princeps by
name, used to declaim and engage in discussion on
alternate days ; and that sometimes he would give
instruction in the morning, and in the afternoon re-
move his desk and declaim. I used to hear, too, that
within the memory of our forefathers some passed
directly from the grammar school to the Forum and
took their place among the most eminent advocates.

The following list includes about all the distin-
guished teachers of the subject, at least those of
whose life I am able to give any account.

V. Saevius Nicanor was the first to attain to fame
and recognition through his teaching, and besides
his commentaries, the greater part of which, however,
are said to be stolen, he wrote a satire, in which he
shows by the following lines that he was a freedman
and had two surnames ;

ec Saevius Nicanor, the freedman of Marcus, may
deny this ; but Saevius Postumius, who is the same
man, and a Marcus as well, will prove it." a

Some write that because of some disgrace he retired
to Sardinia and there died.

VI. Aurelius Opilius, freedman of an Epicurean,
first taught philosophy, afterwards rhetoric, and
finally grammar. But when Rutilius Rufus was
banished, he gave up his school and followed him to
Asia, where he lived with him in Smyrna to old age.
He wrote several books on various learned topics,

Postumius, and Marcus. The meaning of the verbs and of the
lines as a whole is obscured by the lack of a context. The
textual variants show that the mss. had the spelling Posthu-
mius.

405

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

corporis, quia 1 scriptores ac poetas sub clientela
Musarum iudicaret, non absurde et fecisse et in-
scripsisse 2 se ait ex numero divarum et appellatione.
Huius cognomen in plerisque indicibus et titulis per
unam L litteram 3 scriptum animadverto, verum ipse
id per duas effert in parastichide libelli, qui inscribitur
« Pinax."

VII. M. Antonius Gnipho, ingenuus in Gallia
natus sed expositus, a nutritore suo manumissus
institutusque (Alexandriae quidem, ut aliqui tradunt,
in contubernio Dionysi Scytobrachionis ; quod equi-
dem non temere crediderim, cum temporum ratio vix
congruat) fuisse dicitur ingenii magni, memoriae
singularis, nec minus Graece quam Latine doctus;
praeterea comi facilique natura, nec unquam de
mercedibus pactus, eoque plura ex liberalitate dis-
centium consecutus. Docuit primum in Divi Iulii
domo pueri adhuc, 4 deinde in sua privata. Docuit
autem et rhetoricam, ita ut quotidie praecepta elo-
quentiae traderet, declamaret vero nonnisi nundinis.
Scholam eius claros quoque viros frequentasse aiunt,
in iis M. Ciceronem, etiam cum praetura fungeretur.
Scripsit multa, quamvis annum aetatis quinquagesi-
mum non excesserit. Etsi Ateius Philologus duo tan-
tum volumina "De Latino 86^0^'' ' reliquisse eum
tradit ; nam cetera scripta discipulorum eius esse,

1 quia, Emesti ; qui quia, mss.

2 mscripsisse, Woff; scripsisse, mss. (se scripsisse, O).

3 L litteram, J. F. Gronov ; litteram or literam, mss.

4 adhuc, omitted by L.

° The Tablet. 6 See note on Tib. vii. 2.
e That is, the man who found and reared him.

406

ON GRAMMARIANS

nine of which, so he tells us, forming a single work,
he appropriately made to correspond with the
number of the Muses, and called them by their
names, because he considered writers and poets to
be under the protection of those divinities. I
observe that his surname is given in numerous cata-
logues and titles with a single L, but he himself
writes it with two in an acrostic in a little book of
his called " Pinax." a

VII. Marcus Antonius Gnipho was born in Gaul
of free parents, but was disowned. 6 He was set free
by his foster-father e and given an education, at
Alexandria, according to some, and in intimate
association with Dionysius Scytobrachion ; but this
I can hardly credit for chronological reasons. It
is said that he was a man of great talent, of
unexampled powers of memory, and well read not
only in Latin but in Greek as well ; that his dis-
position, too, was kindly and good-natured, and that
he never made any stipulation about his fees, and
therefore received the more from the generosity of
his pupils. He first gave instruction in the house
of the Deified Julius, when the latter was still a boy,
and then in his own home. He taught rhetoric too,
giving daily instruction in speaking, but declaiming
only once a week. d They say also that distinguished
men attended his school, including Cicero even
while he was praetor. Although he did not live
beyond his fiftieth year, he wrote a great deal.
Ateius Philologus, however, declares that he left
but two volumes, " On the Latin Language/' main-
taining that the other works attributed to him
were those of his pupils and not his own. Yet

* Literally, " on market days" ; see note on Aug, xcii. 2.

407

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

non ipsius ; in quibus et suum alicubi reperiri nomen,
ut hoc * * *

VIII. M. Pompilius Andronicus, natione Syrus,
studio Epicureae sectae desidiosior in professione
grammatica 1 habebatur minusque idoneus ad tuen-
dam scholam. Itaque cum se in urbe non solum
Antonio Gniphoni, sed ceteris etiam deterioribus
postponi videret, Cumas transiit ibique in otio vixit
et multa composuit ; verum adeo inops atque egens,
ut coactus sit praecipuum illud opusculum suum
" Annalium Ennii Elenchorum " XVI. milibus num-
mum cuidam vendere, quos libros Orbilius suppressos
redemisse se dicit vulgandosque curasse nomine
auctoris.

IX. L. 2 Orbilius Pupillus Beneventanus, morte
parentum, una atque eadem die inimicorum dolo
interemptorum, destitutus, primo apparituram magi-
stratibus fecit ; deinde in Macedonia corniculo, mox
equo meruit ; functusque militia, studia repetit, quae
iam inde a puero non leviter attigerat ; ac profes-
sus diu in patria, quinquagesimo demum anno
Romam consule Cicerone transiit docuitque maiore
fama quam emolumento. Namque iam persenex
pauperem se et habitare sub tegulis quodam scripto
fatetur. Librum etiam, cui est titulus " Perialogos/' 3

1 grammatica, NOGIW ; gramma ticae, VL.

8 L., added by Roth.

8 Perialogos, mss. ; TccpiaXy-fis, Toup.

a Elenchu8 is a transliteration of the Greek tteyxos, "re-
futation," "cross-examination." The work was apparently
an attack on the Annals, like those on the writings of Vergil ;
cf . the Life of Vergil, 44 and 45.

6 That is, in a garret.

e The word is evidently corrupt ; perhaps we should read
Perialges (ircpiaXyTjs), " The Sorrowful Man." Turnebus

408

ON GRAMMARIANS

his own name is sometimes found in them, for
example * * *

VIII. Marcus Pompilius Andronicus, a native of
Syria, because of his devotion to the Epicurean sect
was considered somewhat indolent in his work as a
grammarian and not qualified to conduct a school.
Therefore, realizing that he was held in less esteem
at Rome, not only than Antonius Gnipho, but than
others of even less ability, he moved to Cumae,
where he led a quiet life and wrote many books.
But he was so poor and needy that he was
forced to sell that admirable little work of his,
" Criticisms of the Annals of Ennius " ° to someone
or other for sixteen thousand sesterces. Orbilius
tells us that he bought up these books after they had
been suppressed, and caused them to be circulated
under their author's name.

IX. Lucius Orbilius Pupillus of Beneventum, left
alone in the world by the death of his parents, both
of whom were slain on the selfsame day by
treacherous enemies, at first earned a living as an
attendant on the magistrates. He then served as a
subaltern in Macedonia, and later in the cavalry.
After completing his military service, he resumed his
studies, to which he had given no little attention from
boyhood ; and after teaching for a long time in his
native place, he at last went to Rome in his fiftieth
year, when Cicero was consul, where he gave instruc- 63 b.c.
tion with greater renown than profit. For in one of

his books, written when he was well on in years, he
admits that he was poor and lived under the tiles. 6
He also wrote a book called " Perialogos," c full of

suggested vcp\ a\oyias> a treatise on the folly of teachers in
submitting to such unjust treatment.

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edidit continentem querelas de iniuriis, quas pro-
fessores neglegentia aut ambitione parentum accipe-
rent. Fuit autem naturae acerbae, non modo in
antisophistas, quos omni occasione 1 laceravit, sed
etiam in discipulos, ut et Horatius significat " plago-
sum " eum appellans, et Domitius Marsus scribens :

"Si quos Orbilius ferula scuticaque cecidit."

Ac ne principum quidem virorum insectatione absti-
nuit ; siquidem ignotus adhuc cum iudicio frequenti
testimonium diceret, interrogatus a Varrone diversae
partis advocato, quidnam ageret et quo artificio
uteretur, gibberosos se de sole in umbram transferre
respondit; quod Murena gibber erat. Vixit prope
ad centesimum aetatis annum, amissa iam pridem
memoria, ut versus Bibaculi docet :

" Orbilius ubinam est, litterarum oblivio ? "
Statua eius Beneventi ostenditur in Capitolio ad
sinistrum latus marmorea habitu sedentis ac palliati.
appositis duobus scriniis. Reliquit (ilium Orbilium, 2
et ipsum grammaticum professorem.

X. L. 8 Ateius Philologus libertinus Athenis est
natus. Hunc Capito Ateius notus iuris consul tus
inter grammaticos rhetorem, inter rhetores gram-
maticum fuisse ait. De eodem Asiuius Pollio in libro,
quo Sallustii scripta reprehendit ut nimia priscorum

1 omni in occasione, rnss. except W, in lohich in is stricken
out; cf. Claud, xlii. 1.
3 Orbilium, bracketed for omission by Reiff.
3 L., added by lioth.

* Cf. Tib. xi. 3. 6 Epist. 2. 1. 70.

Varro Murena. Macrobius, Saturn. 2. 6, tells the same
story of Galba, father of the emperor (cf. Qalba, iii), but gives
the reply of Orbilius as : in sole gibbos soleo fricare, " I rub
humps in the sun." Neither remark seems to have any point
410

ON GRAMMARIANS

complaints of the wrongs which teachers suffered from
the indifference or selfishness of parents. Indeed he
was sour-tempered, not only towards rival scholars,"
whom he assailed at every opportunity, but also to-
wards his pupils, as Horace implies when he calls him
" the flogger," b and Domitius Marsus in the line :

" Whomever Orbilius thrashed with rod or with
whiplash of leather."

He did not even refrain from gibes at men of dis-
tinction ; for when he was still obscure and was
giving testimony in a crowded court-room, being
asked by Varro, the advocate on the other side,
what he did and what his profession was, he replied :
re I remove hunchbacks from the sun into the shade."
Now Murena c was hunchbacked. Orbilius lived to
be nearly a hundred, having long since lost his
memory, as is shown by the verse of Bibaculus :

« Where is Orbilius, pray, great learning's tomb ? '

Pis marble statue may be seen at Beneventum, on
the left side of the capitol, representing him seated
and clad in a Greek mantle, with two book-boxes by
his side. He left a son Orbilius, who was also a
teacher of grammar.

X. Lucius Ateius Philologus was a freedman, born
at Athens. The well-known jurist Ateius Capito
says that he was " a rhetorician among grammarians
and a grammarian among rhetoricians." Asinius
Pollio, too, in the book in which he criticizes the
writings of Sallust, as marred by an excessive effort

except the allusion to Murena's deformity, unless Suetonius's
version means " I put them into the background," or "con-
sign them to obscurity." The commentators confine them-
selves to quoting Macrobius.

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verborum affectatione oblita, ita tradit : " In earn
rem adiutorium ei fecit maxime quidem 1 Ateius Prae-
textatus nobilis grammaticus Latinus, declamantium
deinde auditor atque praeceptor, ad suramam Philolo-
gus ab semet nominatus." Ipse ad Laelium Hermam
scripsit, se in Graecis litteris magnum processum
habere et in Latinis nonnullum, audisse Antonium
Gniphonen eiusque t haere postea docuisse. Prae-
cepisse autem multis et claris iuvenibus, in quis
Appio quoque et Pulchro Claudiis fratribus, quorum
etiam comes in provincia fuerit. Philologi appella-
tionem assumpsisse videtur, quia sic ut Eratosthenes,
qui primus hoc cognomen sibi vindicavit, multiplici
variaque doctrina censebatur. Quod sane ex com-
mentariis eius apparet, quanquam paucissimi exstent ;
de quorum tamen copia sic altera ad eundem Her-
mam epistula significat : " Hylen nostram aliis
memento commendare, quam omnis generis coegi-
mus, uti scis, octingentos in libros/ Coluit postea
familiarissime C. Sallustium et eo defuncto Asinium
Pollionem, quos historiam componere aggressos,
alterum breviario rerum omnium Rom ana rum, ex
quibus quas vellet eligeret, instruxit, alterum prae-
ceptis de ratione scribendi. Quo magis miror Asi-
nium credidisse, antiqua eum verba et figuras solitum
esse colligere Sallustio ; cum sibi sciat nihil 2 aliud

° The text is corrupt and no satisfactory emendation has
as yet been proposed; see Ihm, Bh. Mus. 61, p. 551. Vahlen,
Index Lectionurriy Berlin, 1877, suggested theoremata, which
would give the meaning "and afterwards taught his (Gni-
pho's) theories."

6 A Greek word, equivalent to Silva, meaning liter* Uy
"timber" for building, and used metaphorically of material

quidem, O. Jahn; quidam, ims.
nihil, GIW ; the other mss. have nil.

412

ON GRAMMARIANS

for archaism, writes as follows : a He was especially
abetted in this by Ateius Praetextatus, a famous
Latin grammarian, afterwards a critic and teacher of
declamation, and finally self-styled Philologus."
Ateius himself wrote to Laelius Hernias that he had
made great progress in Greek letters and some in
Latin, had been a pupil of Antonius Gnipho * * *, a
and afterwards a teacher ; further, that he had given
instruction to many eminent young men, including
the brothers Appius and Claudius Pulcher, whom he
had also accompanied to their province. He seems
to have assumed the title Philologus, because like
Eratosthenes, who was first to lay claim to that sur-
name, he regarded himself as a man of wide and
varied learning. And that he was such is evident
from his commentaries, though very few of them
survive ; but he gives some idea of their number in a
second letter to the aforesaid Hermas : " Remember
to recommend my Hyle b to others ; as you know, it
consists of material of every kind, collected in eight
hundred books." He was afterwards a close friend of
Gaius Sallustius, and after Sallust's death, of Asinius
Pollio ; and when they set about writing history, he
provided the one with an epitome of all Roman
story, from which to select what he wished, and the
other with rules on the art of composition. This
makes me wonder all the more that Asinius believed
that Ateius used to collect archaic words and ex-
pressions for Sallust ; for he knows that the
grammarian's strongest recommendation to him was

in a rough form ; here of material for oratory. Silva is
also applied technically to hasty and more or less extempore
productions; cf. Quint. 10. 3. 17, diver sum est huic eorum
vitium, qui primo decurrere per materiam stilo quam
velocissimo volunt et sequentes ccUorem atque impetum ex
tempore scribunt; hanc silvam vocant. "** ai?

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

suadere quam ut noto civilique et proprio sermone
utatur, vitetque maxime obscuritatem Sallustii et
audaciam in translationibus.

XI. P. 1 Valerius Cato, ut nonnulli tradiderunt,
Burseni cuiusdam libertus ex Gallia ; ipse libello, cui
est titulus " Indignatio/' ingenuum se natum ait et
pupillum relictum, eoque facilius licentia Sullani
temporis exutum patrimonio. Docuit multos et
nobiles, visusque est peridoneus praeceptor, maxime
ad poeticam tendentibus, ut quidem apparere vel his
versiculis potest :

" Cato grammaticus, Latina Siren,
Qui solus legit ac facit poetas."

Is scripsit praeter grammaticos libellos etiam poe-
mata, ex quibus praecipue probantur " Lydia " et
" Diana." " Lydiae " Ticida meminit :

" Lydia doctorum maxima cura liber ; "
" Dianae " Cinna :

" Saecula permaneat nostri Dictynna Catonis."

Vixit ad extremam senectam, sed in summa pauperie 2
et paene inopia, 3 abditus modico gurgustio, post-
quam Tusculana villa creditoribus cesserat, ut auctor
est Bibaculus :

" Si quis forte mei domum Catonis,
Depictas minio assulas, 4 et illos
Custodis videt hortulos Priapi :
Miratur, quibus ille disciplinis

1 P., added by Roth. 2 pauperie] pauperiom, mss.
8 inopia] inopiam, mss.

4 assulas, Beroaldus ; assylas, G ; assyllas, NOI ; asillas,

° That is, his own, without borrowing or imitation.

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ON GRAMMARIANS

to use familiar, unassuming, natural* language,
especially avoiding Sallust's obscurity and his bold
figures of speech.

XI. Publius Valerius Cato, according to some
writers, was the freedman of a certain Bursenus from
Gaul ; but he himself, in a little work called
" Indignation/' declares that he was freeborn but was
left an orphan ; so that he was the more easily
stripped of his patrimony in the lawless times of
Sulla. He had many distinguished pupils and was
regarded as a very competent teacher, especially of
those who had a bent for poetry, as indeed is
especially evident from these verses :

t€ Cato, teacher of letters, Siren Latin-born,
He, and none other, poets reads and makes."

Besides books of a grammatical character, he wrote
poems also, of which the most highly esteemed are
the " Lydia " and the " Diana." Ticidas says of the
former :

" Lydia, a book most dear to cultured minds."

And Cinna of the latter :

" For ages may our Cato's Dian 6 live."

He reached an advanced age, but in extreme poverty
and almost in destitution, buried in a little hovel,
after he had given up his villa at Tusculum to his
creditors, as Bibaculus tells us :

" If haply one has seen my Cato's house,
His shingles stained with red,
His garden over which Priapus watched :
One can but wonder by what training he

5 Dictynna is a name of Diana as goddess of the chase, from
Uktvov, " hunting-net."

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Tantam sit 1 sapientiam assecutus,
Quern tres cauliculi, selibra farris.
Racemi duo tegula sub una
Ad summam prope nutriant senectam."

Et rursus :

" Catonis modo, Galle, Tusculanum
Tota creditor urbe venditabat.
Mirati sumus, unicum magistrum,
Summum grammaticum, optimum poetam
Omnes solvere posse quaestiones,
Unum difficile expedire nomen.
En cor Zenodoti, en iecur Cratetis."

XII. Cornelius Epicadus, L. Cornel ii Sullae dicta-
toris libertus calatorque in sacerdotio augurali, filio
quoque eius Fausto gratissimus fuit ; quare nunquam
non utriusque se libertum edidit. Librum autem,
quern Sulla novissimum " De Rebus Suis " imperfec-
tum reliquerat, ipse supplevit.

XIIL Staberius Eros suomet aere 2 emptus de
catasta et propter litterarum studium manumissus,
docuit inter ceteros Brutum et Cassium. Sunt qui
tradant tanta eum honestate praeditum, ut tempori-
bus Sullanis proscriptorum liberos gratis et sine
mercede ulla in disciplinam receperit.

XIV. Curtius Nicias haesit Cn. Pompeio et C.
Memmio ; sed cum codicillos Memmi ad Pompei

1 sit sapientiam, L (Pontanus) ; sapientiam sit, VNGOI.

2 suomet aere, Roth ; nametra, mss. The text is corrupt
and the meaning most uncertain; see Ihm, Rh. Mus. 61,
p. 551.

a Unum expedire nomen t " make shift to find one name," as
surety for his debts.

416

ON GRAMMARIANS

To such a height of wisdom has attained.
That three small cabbages, half a pound of meal,
And clusters twain of grapes beneath one roof
Suffice for him when well-nigh at life's end."

And again :

" Gallus, but now our Cato's creditor
His Tusculanum offered through the town.
We wondered that the master without peer,
The great grammarian, chief among our poets,
Could solve all questions, solvent ° could not be.
Lo ! Crates' heart, mind of Zenodotus." b

XII. Cornelius Epicadus was a freedman of Lucius
Cornelius Sulla, the dictator, and one of his servants
in the augural priesthood, besides being a great
favourite of his son Faustus. Therefore he always
declared that he was the freedman of both. He
himself completed the last book of Sulla's "Auto-
biography," which the dictator left unwritten.

XIII. Staberius Eros was purchased with his own
savings at a public sale d and formally manumitted
because of his devotion to literature. He numbered
among his pupils Brutus and Cassius. Some say
that he was so noble-minded that in the times of
Sulla he admitted the children of the proscribed to
his school free of charge and without any fee.

XIV. Curtius Nicias was an adherent of Gnaeus
Pompeius and Gaius Memmius ; but having brought

* That is, "what a fate for a man with such a mind and
heart." Cor here, as often, = " intelligence," and iecur may
have the same meaning, although it is commonly spoken of
as the seat of the emotions, especially anger and the like.

c The calatores, literalty "summoners," were attendants
on the augurs and other religious officials.

d CcUasta was the scaffolding or platform on which slaves
were exposed to view at public sales.

417

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uxorem de stupro pertulisset, proditus ab ea, Pom-
peium offendit, domoque ei interdictum est. Fuit et
M. Ciceronis familiaris ; in cuius epistula ad Dolabel-
lam haec de eo legimus : " Nihil Romae geritur quod
te putem scire curare, nisi forte scire vis, me inter
Niciam nostrum et Vidium iudicem esse. Profert
alter, opinor duobus versiculis, expensum Niciae ; 1
alter Aristarchus hos obelizei : ego tanquam criticus
antiquus 2 iudicaturus sum, utrum sint rov iroLyjrov an
TrapepfoPkrjficvoL. 3 " Item ad Atticum : " De Nicia
quod scribis, si ita me haberem ut eius humanitate
frui possem, in primis vellem mecum ilium habere ;
sed mihi solitudo et recessus provincia est. Praeterea
nosti Niciae nostri imbecillitatem, mollitiam, con-
suetudinem victus. Cur ergo illi molestus esse velim,
cum mihi ille iucundus esse non possit? Voluntas
tamen eius mihi grata est." Huius " De Lucilio "
libros etiam Santra 4 comprobat.

XV. Lenaeus, Magni Pompei libertus et paene
omnium expeditionum comes, defuncto eo filiisque
eius schola se sustentavit ; docuitque in Carinis ad
Telluris, in qua regione Pompeiorum domus fuerat,
ac tanto amore erga patroni memoriam exstitit, ut
Sallustium historicum, quod eum oris probi, animo
inverecundo scripsisset, acerbissima satura laceraverit,

1 Niciae, omitted by VLNG W ; added from Cicero by 01.

2 antiquus] antiquos, mss.

8 vot7)Tov an TapcufiefiKriixci'ot, omitted by the m88. ; restored
from Cicero by Aldus.

4 Santra, Statius ; satyra or satura, mss. ( W. has santyra
corr. to satyra).

a Ad Fam. 9. 10.

* The critical mark used to indicate spurious or inter-
polated lines ; that is, Vidius denies the debt.

418

ON GRAMMARIANS

a note from Memmius to Pompey's wife with an
infamous proposal, he was betrayed by her, lost
favour with Pompey, and was forbidden his house.
He was an intimate friend of Marcus Cicero too, and
in a letter of the orator's to Dolabella a we read these
words about Nicias : " I think there is nothing going
on in Rome which you are interested in knowing,
unless perhaps you would like to know that I am
acting as arbiter between our friend Nicias and Vidius.
The one presents a note for payment, consisting of
two lines, I believe. The other, like an Aristarchus,
marks them with an obelus. 6 I, like a critic of old,
am to decide whether they are the poet's, or a
forgery." In another letter to Atticus c : "As to
what you write of Nicias, if I were in a position to
enjoy his learned society, I should particularly like
to have him with me ; but my province is solitude
and retirement. Besides you know our friend Nicias'
weakness, self-indulgence, and mode of life. Why
then should I wish to bore him, when he can give
me no pleasure ? Nevertheless I appreciate his
desire." Santra likewise commends his books a On
Lucilius."

XV. Lenaeus, freedman of Pompey the Great and
his companion in almost all his campaigns, on the
death of his patron and his sons supported himself
by a school, teaching in the Carinae,^ near the
temple of Tellus, the quarter of the city in which the
house of the Pompeys was formerly situated. He was
so devoted to his patron's memory, that because the
historian Sallust wrote that Pompey had " an honest
face but a shameless character," he tore Sallust to
pieces in a biting satire, calling him " a debauchee, a
• Ad Att. 12. 26. * See note on Tib. xv. 1.

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lastaurum et lurconem et nebulonem popinonemque
appellans, et vita scriptisque monstrosum, praeterea
priscorum Catonisque verborum ineruditissimum
furem. Traditur autem puer adhuc Athenis 1 sub-
reptus, refugisse in patriam, perceptisque liberalibus
disciplinis, pretium suum domino 2 rettulisse, verum
ob ingenium atque doctrinam gratis manumissus.

XVI. Q. Caecilius Epirota, Tusculi natus, libertus
Attici 8 equitis Romani, ad quern sunt Ciceronis
epistulae, cum filiam patroni nuptam M. Agrippae
doceret, suspectus in ea et ob hoc remotus, ad
Cornelium Galium se contulit vixitque una familiaris-
sime, quod ipsi Gallo inter gravissima crimina ab
Augusto obicitur. Post deinde damnationem mor-
temque Galli scholam aperuit, sed ita ut paucis et
tantum adulescentibus praeciperet, praetextato
nemini, nisi si cuius parenti hoc officium negare
non posset. Primus dicitur Latine ex tempore
disputasse, primusque Vergilium et alios poetas novos
praelegere coepisse, quod etiam Domitii Marsi
versiculus indicat :

"Epirota, tenellorum nutricula vatum."

XVII. M. 4 Verrius Flaccus libertinus docendi
genere maxime claruit. Namque ad exercitanda
discentium ingenia aequales inter se committere
solebatj proposita non solum materia quam scribe-.

1 Athenis, N. Heinsius ; catenis, VLNGO ; tacenis, /.

2 domino, NOOIW ; the other mas. omit,
8 Attici, Beroaldus; Satti, etc. % mss.

4 M., added by Both.

° Cf. Aug. lxvi. 1-2.

420

ON GRAMMARIANS

gourmandizer, a spendthrift, and a tippler, a man
whose life and. writings were monstrous, and who
was besides an ignorant pilferer of the language of
the ancients and of Cato in particular." It is further
said that when Lenaeus was still a boy he was stolen
from Athens, made his escape and returned to his
native land, and after acquiring a liberal education,
offered the price of his liberty to his former master,
but received his freedom as a gift because of his
ability and learning.

XVI. Quintus Caecilius Epirota, born at Tusculum,
was a freedman of Atticus, a Roman knight, the
correspondent of Cicero. While he was teaching his
patron's daughter, who was the wife of Marcus
Agrippa, he was suspected of improper conduct
towards her and dismissed ; whereupon he attached
himself to Cornelius Gallus and lived with him on
most intimate terms, a fact which Augustus made
one of his heaviest charges against Gallus himself. a
After the conviction and death of Gallus he opened 26 a.c.
a school, but took few pupils and only grown up
young men, admitting none under age, except those

to whose fathers he was unable to refuse that favour.
He is said to have been the first to hold extempore
discussions in Latin, and the first to begin the
practice of reading Vergil and other recent poets, a
fact also alluded to by Domitius Marsus in the verse :

" Epirota, fond nurse of fledgling bards."

XVII. Marcus Verrius Flaccus, a freedman, gained
special fame by his method of teaching. For to stimu-
late the efforts of his pupils, he used to pit those of
the same advancement against one another, not only
setting the subject on which they were to write, but

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rent, sed et praemio quod victor auferret. Id erat
liber aliquis antiquus pulcher aut rarior. Quare ab
Augusto quoque nepotibus eius praeceptor electus,
transiit in Palatium cum tota schola, verum ut ne
quern 1 amplius posthac discipulum reciperet ; docuit-
que in atrio Catulinae domus, quae pars Palatii tunc
erat, et centena sestertia in annum accepit. De-
cessit aetatis exactae sub Tiberio. Statuam habet
Praeneste, in inferiore 2 fori parte contra 8 hemicy-
clium, in quo fastos a se ordinatos et marmoreo
parieti incisos publicarat.

XVIII. L. Crassicius, genere Tarentinus, ordinis
libertini, cognomine Pasicles, mox Pansam se trans-
nominavit. Hie initio circa scenam versatus est, dum
mimographos adiuvat; deinde in pergula 4 docuit,
donee commentario " Zmyrnae " edito adeo inclaruit,
ut haec de eo scriberentur :

" Uni Crassicio se credere Zmyrna probavit ;
Desinite indocti coniugio banc petere !
Soli Crassicio se dixit nubere velle,
Intima cui soli nota sua exstiterint."

Sed cum edoceret 5 iam multos ac nobiles, in iis
Iullum 6 Antonium, triumviri filium, ut Verrio quoque

1 ne quern, W ; neque, VLNGI.

3 inferiore, VL W ; superiore, NOG I.

8 contra, NOI; circa, VLG; cf. Vahlen, Index Leclionum,
Berlin, 1877.

4 pergula, Ven. ed. of 1474, Beroaldus ; percula, W ;
parcula, VLNGI.

5 The mss. have et doceret, except 0, which omits et ; W
indicates a lacuna be/ore et. 6 Iulum, 01 ; Iuliura, VLNG.

• Q. Lntatius Catulus ; see chap. iii. and Index.

* A semi-circular place for sitting ; applied also by
Vitruvius, 9. 9. 1, to a kind of sundial.

42a

ON GRAMMARIANS

also offering a prize for the victor to carry off. This
was some old book, either beautiful or rare. He was
therefore chosen by Augustus as the tutor of his
grandsons and he moved to the Palace with his whole
school, but with the understanding that he should
admit no more pupils. He gave instruction in the
hall of the house of Catulus,* which at that time
formed part of the Palace, and was paid a hundred
thousand sesterces a year. He died at an advanced
age under Tiberius. His statue stands at Praeneste in
the upper part of the forum near the hemicycle, 6
on which he exhibited the calendar c which he had
arranged and inscribed upon its marble walls.

XVIII. Lucius Crassicius, a Tarentine by birth and
a freedman by position, had the surname Pasicles,
which he afterwards changed to Pansa. He was
at first connected with the stage, as an assistant to
the writers of farces; then he gave instruction in
a school,* until he became so famous through the
publication of his commentary on the "Zmyrna,"
that the following verses were written about him :

" Zmyrna will trust her fate but to Crassicius ;
Cease then to woo her, ye unlettered throng.
She has declared none other will she wed,
Since he alone her hidden charms doth know."

But when he had already attracted many pupils of
high rank, including Iullus Antonius, the triumvir's
son, so that he was a rival even of Verrius Flaccus,

c The Fasti Praenestini, of which fragments have come
down to us.

d A pergula was an upper floor or balcony on the front of a
house ; such balconies were used as shops, studios, schools,
and the like ; cf. Aug, xciv. 12.

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Flacco compararetur, dimissa repente schola, transiit
ad Q. Sexti philosophi sectam.

XIX. Scribonius Aphrodisius, Orbilii servus atque
discipulus, mox a Scribonia Libonis filia, quae prior
Augusti uxor fuerat, redemptus et manumissus,
docuit quo Verrius tempore, cuius etiam libris " De
Orthographia " rescripsit, non sine insectatione
studiorum morumque eius.

XX. C. Iulius Hyginus, Augusti libertus, natione
Hispanus, (nonnulli Alexandrinum putant et a
Caesare puerum Romam adductum Alexandria capta)
studiose et audiit et imitatus est Cornelium Alexan-
drum grammaticum Graecum, quern propter anti-
quitatis notitiam Polyhistorem multi, quidam His-
toriam vocabant. Praefuit Palatinae bibliothecae,
nec eo secius plurimos docuit ; fuitque familiarissimus
Ovidio poetae et Clodio Licino 1 consulari, historico,
qui eum admodum pauperem decessisse tradit et
liberalitate sua, quoad vixerit, sustentatum. Huius
libertus fuit Iulius Modestus, in studiis atque doctrina
vestigia patroni secutus.

XXI. C. Melissus, Spoleti natus ingenuus, sed ob
discordiam parentum expositus, cura et industria
educatoris sui altiora studia percepit, ac Maecenati
pro grammatico muneri datus est. Cui cum se
gratum et acceptum in modum amici videret, quan-
quam asserente matre, permansit tamen in statu

1 Licino, Oudendorp, Bergh ; Licinio, rms.

• Aug. lxii. 2. 6 Aug. xxix. 3.

See note on Tib, viL 2.

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ON GRAMMARIANS

lie suddenly disbanded his school and became a
disciple of the philosopher Quintus Sextius.

XIX. Scribonius Aphrodisius, slave and pupil of
Orbilius, afterwards bought and set free by Scribonia,
daughter of Libo, who had formerly been the wife of
Augustus/ taught at the same time as Verrius. He
wrote a critique of Verrius's " Orthography," at the
same time attacking the author's scholarship and
character.

XX. Gaius Julius Hyginus, a freedman of Augustus
and a Spaniard by birth (some think that he was a
native of Alexandria and was brought to Rome
when a boy by Caesar after his capture of the city),
was a zealous pupil and imitator of the Greek
grammarian Cornelius Alexander, whom many called
" Polyhistor " because of his knowledge of the past,
and some "History." Hyginus was in charge of
the Palatine Library,* but nevertheless took many
pupils. He was an intimate friend of the poet Ovid
and of Clodius Licinus the ex-consul and historian,
who tells us that Hyginus died very poor after
being supported as long as he lived by the writer's
generosity. He had a freedman Julius Modestus,
who followed in his patron's footsteps as student and
scholar.

XXI. Gaius Melissus, a native of Spoletium, was
freeborn, but was disowned owing to a disagree-
ment between his parents. Nevertheless through
the care and devotion of the man who reared him,
he received a superior education, and was presented to
Maecenas as a grammarian. Finding that Maecenas
appreciated him and treated him as a friend,
although his mother claimed his freedom, he yet
remained in a condition of slavery, since he

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servitutis praesentemque condicionem verae origini
anteposuit ; quare cito manumissus, Augusto etiam 1
insinuates est. Quo delegante, 2 curam ordinandarum
bibliothecarum in Octaviae porticu suscepit. Atque,
ut ipse tradit, sexagesimum aetatis annum agens,
libellos " Ineptiarum," qui nunc " Iocorum inscri-
buntur, componere instituit, absolvitque C et L,
quibus et alios diversi operis postea addidit. Fecit
et novum genus togatarum inscripsitque trabeatas.

XXII. M. Pomponius Marcellus, sermonis Latin i
exactor molestissimus, in advocatione quadam (nam
interdum et causas agebat) soloecismum ab adversario
factum usque adeo arguere perseveravit, quoad
Cassius Severus, interpellatis iudicibus, dilationem
petiit, ut litigator suus alium grammaticum adhiberet ;
quando non putat is cum adversario de iure sibi, sed
de soloecismo controversiam futuram. Hie idem,
cum ex oratione Tiberi verbum 8 reprehendisset,
affirmante Ateio Capitone, et esse illud Latinum, et
si non esset, futurum certe iam inde : " Mentitur,"
inquit, " Capito ; tu enim, Caesar, civitatem dare
potes hominibus, verbo 4 non potes." Pugilem olim

1 Augusto etiam, NGO W ; Augusto et, VLl.

2 quo delegante, : quod elegantem, VLNQIW.

» Tiberius verbum, W : Tyberium, V ; Tyberius, 0.
4 verbo, Both ; verbis, G. Faernus (Rtif.) ; verba, mas.

a See Aug. xxix. 4.

6 The fabulae togatae presented scenes from Roman life, in
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ON GRAMMARIANS

preferred his present lot to that of his actual
origin. In consequence he was soon set free, and
even won the favour of Augustus. At the emperor's
appointment he undertook the task of arranging
the library in the Colonnade of Octavia. a In his
sixtieth year, as he himself writes, he began to
compile his volumes of " Trifles," now entitled
"Jests/* of which he completed a hundred and
fifty ; and he later added other volumes of a different
character. He likewise originated a new kind of
togatae, b to which he gave the name of trabeatae.

XXII. Marcus Pomponius Marcellus, a most
pedantic critic of the Latin language, in one of
his cases (for he sometimes acted as an advocate)
was so persistent in criticizing an error in diction
made by his opponent, that Cassius Severus appealed
to the judges and asked for a postponement, to
enable his client to employ a grammarian in his
stead : " For," said he, " he thinks that the contest
with his opponent will not be on points of law,
but of diction." When this same Marcellus had
criticized a word in one of Tiberius 's speeches, and
Ateius Capito declared that it was good Latin, or if
not, that it would surely be so from that time on,
Marcellus answered: "Capito lies; for you, Caesar,
can confer citizenship upon men, but not upon a
word." That he had formerly been a boxer is

contrast with the fabulae palliatae, or comedies adapted from
the Greek.

c See note on trabea, Dom. xiv. 3. In the trabeatae the
characters were knights or other wearers of the trabea.

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fuisse, Asinius Gallus hoc in eum epigrammate
ostendit :

" Qui ' caput ad laevam ' didicit, glossemata nobis
Praecipit ; os nullum, vel potius pugilis ! "

XXIII. Q. Remmius Palaemon, Viceiinus, 1 muli-
eris verna, primo, ut ferunt, textrinum, deinde
herilem filium dum comitatur in scholam, litteras
didicit. Postea manumissus docuit Romae ac princi-
pem locum inter grammaticos tenuit, quanquam
infamis omnibus vitiis, palamque et Tiberio et mox
Claudio praedicantibus, nemini minus institutionem
puerorum vel iuvenum committendam. Sed capiebat
homines cum memoria rerum, turn facilitate sermonis ;
nec non etiam poemata faciebat ex tempore.
Scripsit vero variis, nec vulgaribus metris. Arro-
gantia fuit tanta, ut M. Varronem porcum appellaret ;
secum et natas et morituras litteras iactaret ; nomen
suum in " Bucolicis " non temere positum, sed praesa-
gante 2 Vergilio, fore quandoque omnium poetarum ac
poematum Palaemonem iudicem. Gloriabatur etiam,
latrones quondam sibi propter nominis celebritatem
parsisse. 8 Luxuriae ita indulsit, ut saepius in die
lavaret, nec sufficeret sumptibus, quanquam ex schola
quadringena annua caperet, ac non multo minus ex

1 Vicetinus, W ; the other mss. have Vicentinus (Vice-, G).

2 praesagante, mss., Roth; praesagiente, Reiff.

3 parsisse, VQ ; parcisse, NI ; pepercisse, LO.

a To dodge a blow delivered with the right hand ; cf. Verg.
Aen. v. 428, abduxere retro longe capita ardua ab ictu; part
of the instruction to a boxer.

6 Os is of course used in a double sense, figuratively as
above, and literally, of a pugilist's battered visage.

As paedagogus, cf . Nero, xxxvi. 2, etc * 3. 50 fL
428

ON GRAMMARIANS

shown by this epigram which Asinius Pollio made
upon him :

" He who learned 'Head to the left >a explains to us
difficult language ;
Talent 6 indeed he has none, merely a pugilist's
skill.

^ XX 11 1. Quintus Remmius Palaemon, of Vicetia,
was the home-born slave of a woman. He first,
they say, learned the weaver's trade, and then got
an education by accompanying his masters son to
school. 6 He was afterwards set free, and became a
teacher at Rome, where he held a leading rank
among the grammarians, in spite of the fact that he
was notorious for every kind of vice, and that
Tiberius and later Claudius openly declared that
there was no one less fitted to be trusted with the
education of boys or young men. But he caught
men's fancy by his remarkable memory, as well as
by his readiness of speech ; for he even extempo-
rized poems. He wrote too in various uncommon
metres. He was so presumptuous that he called
Marcus Varro " a hog " ; declared that letters were
born with him and would die with him ; and that it
was no accident that his name appeared in the
" Bucolics," d but because Vergil divined that one day
a Palaemon would be judge of all poets and poems.
He boasted too that brigands once spared him
because of the celebrity of his name. He was so
given to luxurious living that he went to the bath
several times a day, and could not live within his
income, although he received four hundred thousand
sesterces a year from his school and almost as much
from his private property. To the latter he gave

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re familiari ; cuius diligentissimus erat, cum et offici-
nas proinercalium vestium exerceret, et agros adeo
coleret, ut vitem manu eius insitam 1 satis constet
CCCLX uvas edidisse. Sed maxime flagrabat
libidinibus in mu lie res, usque ad infamiam oris ;
dicto quoque 2 non infaceto notatum ferunt cuiusdam,
qui cum 3 in turba osculum sibi ingerentem quan-
quam refugiens devitare non posset, " Vis tu>" inquit,
"magister, quotiens festinantem aliquem vides,
abligurire ? "

XXIV. M. Valerius Probus, Berytius, diu centu-

riatum petiit, donee taedio ad studia se contulit.

Legerat in provincia quosdam veteres libellos apud

grammatistam, durante adhuc ibi antiquorum me-

moria, necdum omnino abolita sicut Romae. Hos

cum diligentius repeteret atque alios deinceps cogno-

scere cuperet, quamvis omnes contemni magisque

opprobrio legentibus quam gloriae et fructui esse

animadverteret, nihilo minus in proposito mansit ;

multaque exemplaria contracta emendare ac dis-

tinguere et annotare curavit, soli huic nec ulli

praeterea grammatices parti deditus. Hie non tarn

discipulos quam sectatores aliquot habuit. Nunquam

enim ita docuit ut magistri personam sustineret;

unum et alterum, vel cum plurimos tres aut quattuor

postmeridianis horis admittere solebat, cubansque

1 insitam, S. Geknius, Mommsen ; institutam, nm.
1 dicto quoque, VLGO ; dictoque, NI.
3 qui cum, ; qui eum, VNGI ; omitted by L ; qui cum
eum, Reiff.

430

ON GRAMMARIANS

great attention, keeping shops for the sale of ready
made clothing and cultivating his fields with such
care that it is common talk that a vine which he
grafted himself yielded three hundred and sixty
bunches of grapes. But he was especially notorious
for acts of licentiousness with women, which he
carried to the pitch of shameful indecency ; and they
say that he was held up to scorn by the witty
remark of a man who met him in a crowd and being
unable to escape his kiss, although he tried to avoid
it, cried : " Master, do you wish to mouth everyone
whom you see in a hurry ? "

XXIV. Marcus Valerius Probus of Berytus for a
long time sought an appointment as centurion, finally
grew tired of waiting, and devoted himself to study.
He had read some early writers with an elementary
teacher in one of the provinces ; for the memory of
those writers still lingers there and is not wholly
lost, as it is in Rome. When he took these up again
with greater care, and sought to extend his acquaint-
ance to others of the same period, although he
perceived that they were all held in contempt and
brought rather reproach to those who read them
than honour and profit, he nevertheless persisted in
his purpose. After getting together a large number
of copies, he gave his attention to correcting and
punctuating them, and furnishing them with critical
notes, devoting himself to this branch of grammar to
the exclusion of all others. He had a few followers,
rather than pupils ; for he never taught in such a
way as to assume the role of a master. He used to
receive one or two, or at most three or four, in the
afternoon hours, when he would lie upon a couch

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inter longos ac vulgares sermones legere quaedam,
idque perraro. Nimis pauca et exigua de quibusdam
minutis quaestiunculis edidit. Reliquit autem non
mediocrem "Silvam Observationum Sermonis Anti-
qui."

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ON GRAMMARIANS

and in the course of long and general conversations °
would read some few things, though very rarely.
He published a few slight works on divers minute
points, and also left a good sized " Grove * of
Observations on our Early Language."

Naturally, on literary and grammatical topics*
6 Sec note on Hyle, chap. x.

433

vol. n.

F F

DE RHETORIBUS

I. Rhetorica quoque apud nos perinde atque
grammatica fere 1 recepta est, paululo 2 etiam diffi-
cilius, quippe quam constet nonnunquam etiam
prohibitum exerceri. Quod ne cui dubium sit, vetus
S. C. 3 item censorium edictum subiciam : " C. 4 Fannio
Strabone M. Valerio Messala coss. M. Pomponius
praetor senatum consuluit. Quod verba facta sunt
de philosophis et rhetoribus, de ea re ita censuerunt,
ut M. Pomponius praetor animadverteret curaretque,
ut ei 5 e re p. fideque sua videretur, uti Romae ne
essent." De eisdem interiecto tempore Cn. Domitius
Aenobarbus, L. Licinius Crassus censores ita edi-
xerunt : " Renuntiatum est nobis, esse homines qui
novum genus disciplinae instituerunt, ad quos iuven-
tus in ludum conveniat ; eos sibi nomen imposuisse
Latinos rhetoras ; ibi homines adolescentulos dies
totos desidere. Maiores nostri, quae liberos suos

1 fere, VLNGI ; sero, 0, BeroaXdus.

2 paululo, VLGO ; paullo, / ; paulo, N.

3 S. C, omitted by the mss. ; tnserterl by Stephanus after,
and by Lachmann before, item ; O omits item also, marking
a lacuna.

4 C. added by Stephanus from Oell. 15. 11. 1.

5 ut ei, OW {see Ihm, Rh. Mus. 61. 552 and cf OeU.
15. 11. 1) ; ut si ei, edd.

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ON RHETORICIANS °

I. The study of rhetoric was introduced into our
country in about the same way as that of grammar,
but with somewhat greater difficulty, since, as is
well known, its practice was at times actually
prohibited. To remove any doubt on this point,
I shall append an ancient decree of the senate,
as well as an edict of the censors :

" In the consulship of Gaius Fannius Strabo and 161b.c
Marcus Valerius Messala the praetor Marcus Pom-
ponius laid' a proposition before the senate. As the
result of a discussion about philosophers and rhetori-
cians, the senate decreed that Marcus Pomponius,
the praetor, should take heed and provide, in what-
ever way seemed in accord with the interests of the
State and his oath of office, that they be not allowed
to live in Rome." Some time afterward the censors
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Licinius 92b.c.
Crassus issued the following edict about the same
class of men : " It has been reported to us that
there be men who have introduced a new kind of
training, and that our young men frequent their
schools; that these men have assumed the title of
I .a tin rhetoricians, and that young men spend
whole days with them in idleness. Our forefathers

a This word, like grammaticxis, had a different force from
that of the corresponding English word ; it meant a teacher
of declamation ana oratory.

435

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discere et quos in ludos itare vellent, instituerunt.
Haec nova, quae praeter consuetudinem ac morem
maiorum fiunt, neque placent neque recta videntur.
Quapropter et eis qui eos ludos habent, et eis qui
eo venire consuerunt, videtur faciundum ut osten-
deremus nostram sententiam, nobis non placere."

Paulatim et ipsa utilis honestaque apparuit, multi-
que earn et praesidii causa et gloriae appetiverunt.
Cicero ad praeturam usque etiam Graece declaim tavit,
Latine vero senior quoque et quidem cum consul ibus
Hirtio et Pansa, quos discipulos et grandis praetex-
tatos vocabat. Cn. Pompeium quidam historici tradi-
derunt sub ipsum civile bellum, quo faciliUs C. Curioni
promptissimo iuveni, causam Caesaris defendenti,
contradiceret, repetisse declamandi consuetudinem ;
M. Antonium, item Augustum ne Mutinensi quidem
bello omisisse. Nero Caesar primo imperii anno,
publice quoque bis antea, declamavit. Plerique
autem oratorum etiam declamation es ediderunt.
Quare magno studio hominibus iniecto, magna etiam
professorum ac doctorum profluxit copia, adeoque
floruit, ut nonnulli ex infima fortuna in ordinem
senatorium atque ad summos honores processerint.

Sed ratio docendi nec una omnibus, nec singulis
eadem semper fuit, quando vario modo quisque

° Cf. Seneca, Controv. 1. praef. 11 ff.
* Cf. Aug. lxxxiv. 1.

436

ON RHETORICIANS

determined what they wished their children to learn
and what schools they desired them to attend.
These innovations in the customs and principles
of our forefathers do not please us nor seem proper.
Therefore it appears necessary to make our opinion
known, both to those who have such schools and to
those who are in the habit of attending them, that
they are displeasing to us."

By degrees rhetoric itself came to seem useful and
honourable, and many devoted themselves to it as a
defence and for glory. Cicero continued to declaim in
Greek as well as Latin up to the time of his praetor-
ship, and in Latin even when he was getting on in
years ; and that too in company with the future con-
suls Hirtius and Pansa, whom he calls " his pupils and
his big boys." a Some historians assert that Gnaeus
Pompeius resumed the practice of declaiming just
before the civil war, that he might be the better able
to argue against Gaius Curio, a young man of very
ready tongue, who was espousing Caesar's cause ;
and that Marcus Antonius, and Augustus as well,
did not give it up even during the war at Mutina. 6
The emperor Nero declaimed in the first year of
his reign, and had also done so in public twice
before. Furthermore, many even of the orators
published declamations. In this way general enthu-
siasm was aroused, and a great number of masters
and teachers flocked to Rome, where they were so
well received that some advanced from the lowest
estate to senatorial dignity and to the highest
magistracies.

But they did not all follow the same method of
teaching, and the individual teachers also varied in
their practice, since each one trained his pupils

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discipulos exercuerunt. Nam et dicta praeclare per
omnes figuras, per casus et apologos aliter atque
aliter exponere, et narrationes cum breviter ac
presse turn latius et uberius explicare consuerant ;
interdum Graecorum scripta convertere, ac viros
illustres laudare vel vituperare; quaedam etiam ad
usum communis vitae instituta turn 1 utilia et ne-
cessaria, turn 1 perniciosa et supervacanea ostendere ;
saepe fabulis fidem firmare aut demere, quod genus
thesis et anasceuas et catasceuas Graeci vocant ;
donee sensim haec exoleverunt, 2 et ad controversiam
ventum est.

Veteres controversiae aut ex historiis trahebantur,
sicut sane nonnullae usque adhuc, aut ex veritate
ac re, si qua forte recens accidisset ; itaque locorum
etiam appellationibus additis proponi solebant. Sic
certe collectae editaeque se habent, ex quibus non
alienum fuerit unam et alteram exempli causa ad
verbum referre.

"Aestivo tempore adulescentes urbani cum Ostiam
venissent, litus ingressi, piscatores trahentes rete
adierunt et pepigerunt, bolum quanti emerent ;
nummos solverunt; diu exspectaverunt, dum retia
extraherentur ; aliquando extractis, piscis nullus
affuit, sed sporta auri obsuta. Turn emptores bolum
suum aiunt, piscatores suum."

1 turn . . . turn, Slephanu8i Vinetus ; dum . . . dum, mss.

2 exoleverunt, Beroaldus ; exoluerunt, L (Pontanus) ;
exoluerint, VOGI; exsoluerint, N.

a That is, stories and fables (Gk. air6\oyoi) introduced by
way of illustration. Cf. Quint. 5. 11. 19 ff.
b They corresponded in general with the Roman masoricie,

43»

ON RHETORICIANS

in various ways. For they would explain fine *.
speeches with regard to their figures, incidents and
illustrations," now in one way and now in another,
and compose narratives sometimes in a condensed
and brief form, again with greater detail and flow
of words. Sometimes they would translate Greek
works, and praise or censure distinguished men.
They would show that some practices in everyday
life were expedient and essential, others harmful
and superfluous. Frequently they defended or
assailed the credibility of myths, an exercise which
the Greeks call "destructive" and "constructive"
criticism. But finally all these exercises b went out
of vogue and were succeeded by the debate.

The earlier debates were based either upon historical
narrative, as indeed is sometimes the case at present,
or upon some event of recent occurrence in real life.
Accordingly they were usually presented with even
the names of the localities included. At any rate
that is the case with the published collections, from
which it may be enlightening to give one or two
specimens word for word.

" Some young men from the city went to Ostia in
the summer season, and arriving at the shore, found
some fishermen drawing in their nets. They made a
bargain to give a certain sum for the haul. The
money was paid and they waited for some time until
the nets were drawn ashore. When they were at
last hauled out, no fish was found in them, but a
closed basket of gold. Then the purchasers said
that the catch belonged to them, the fishermen that
it was theirs."

which with the controversial formed the stock exercises of
the schools of rhetoric.

439

THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

" Venalici cum Brundisi gregem venalium e navi
educerent, formoso et pretioso puero, quod portitores
verebantur, bullam et praetcxtam togam imposue-
runt ; facile fallaciam celarunt. Romam venitur, res
cognita est, petitur puer, quod domini voluntate
fuerit liber, in libertatem. 1 " Olim autem eas appella-
tione Graeca 2 synthesis 3 vocabant ; mox controver-
sias quidem, sed aut fictas aut iudiciales.

lllustres pFUfessores, et "quorum memoria aliqua
exstet, non temere alii reperientur quam de quibus
tradam.

II. L. Plotius Gallus. De hoc Cicero in epistula
ad M. Titinnium sic refert: "Equidem memoria
teneo, pueris nobis primum Latine docere coepisse
Plotium quendam. Ad quern cum fieret concursus,
quod studiosissimus quisque apud eum exerceretur,
dolebam mihi idem non licere. Continebar autem
doctissimorum hominum auctoritate, qui existimabant
Graecis exercitationibus ali melius ingenia posse."
Hunc eundem (nam diutissime vixit) M. Caelius in
oratione, quam pro se de vi habuit, significat 4 dictasse
Atratino, accusatori suo, actionem; subtractoque
nomine, hordearium eum rhetorem appellat, deridens
ut inflatum ac levem et sordidum.

1 libertatem, Vinetvs ; libertate, mss.

2 appellationo Graeca, 01; appellationes Graece, VLW;
appellationes Graeci, NO.

' synthesis, L (Pontanus) ; syntaxis, VNG ; sintaxis, / ;
syntasis, 0. 4 significat, Muretus ; significabat, mss.

a The dress of a freeborn youth of good family ; cf. Jul.
lxxxiv. 4. The bulla was also a badge of free birth.
6 2w0£r€iF, "Compositions."
c The letter has not been preserved.

d That is, his speech in support of the charge against

Caelius.

440

ON RHETORICIANS

u When some dealers were landing a cargo of
slaves from a ship at Brundisium, they dressed
a handsome and high-priced young slave in the
amulet and fringed toga a for fear of the collectors
of customs, and their fraud easily escaped detention.
When they reached Rome, the case was taken to
court and a claim was made for the slave's liberty, on
the ground that his master had voluntarily freed
him."

Such discussions they formerly called by their
Greek name of "syntheses," 6 but afterwards
" debates " ; but they might be either fictitious or
legal.

The eminent teachers of the subject, of whom
any account is to be found, are limited pretty closely
to those whom I shall mention.

II. Of Lucius Plotius Gallus, Cicero gives the
following account in a letter to Marcus Titinnius c :
€t I well remember that when we were boys, a
certain Plotius first began to teach in Latin. When
crowds flocked to him, for all the most diligent
students of the subject were trained under him, I
regretted not having the same privilege. But I was
deterred by the advice of certain men of wide
experience, who believed that one's mind could
better be trained by exercises in Greek." Marcus
Caelius, in a speech in which he defended himself
against a charge of violence, implies that this same
Plotius, for he lived to a great age, supplied Caelius's
accuser, Atratinus, with his plea d t ; and without
mentioning him by name, Caelius calls him a " barley-
bread rhetorician," mocking at him as " puffy, light,
and coarse."

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III. L. Voltacilius 1 Plotus 2 servisse dicitur atque
etiam ostiarius vetere more in catena fuisse, donee
ob ingenium ac studium litterarum manumissus,
accusanti patrono subscripsit. Deinde rhetoricam
professus, Cn. Pompeium Magnum docuit, patrisque
eius res gestas, nec minus ipsius, compluribus libris
exposuit ; primus omnium libertinorum, ut Cornelius
Nepos opinatur, scribere historiam orsus, nonnisi ab
honestissimo quoque scribi solitam ad id tempus.

IV. M. 3 Epidius, calumnia notatus, ludum dicendi
aperuit docuitque inter ceteros M. Antonium et
Augustum; quibus quondam C. Cannutius, obicien-
tibus sibi quod in re p. administranda potissimum
consularis Isaurici sectam sequeretur, malle respondit
Isaurici esse discipulum quam Epidi calumniatoris.
Hie Epidius ortum se ab Epidio Nucerino 4 prae-
dicabat, quern ferunt olim praecipitatum in fontem
fluminis Sarni, paulo post cum cornibus taureis 5
exstitisse, ac statim non comparuisse in numeroque
deorum habitum.

V. Sextus Clodius, e Sicilia, Latinae simul Grae-
caeque eloquentiae professor, male oculatus et dicax,
par oculorum in amicitia M. Antonii triumviri
extrisse 6 se aiebat; eiusdem uxorem Fulviam, cui
altera bucca inflatior erat, acumen stili tentare dixit,

1 Voltacilius, Both, from the Indices and Hieronymus ;
Oltacilius, VO ; Octacilius, NGI ; Otacilius, L.

2 Plotus, Reiff. from Hieron, ; Pilutus, mas.

3 M., added by Roth.

4 Nucerino, W, BerocUdus ; Nuncino, VNO ; nuntino, / ;
mancino, L.

5 taureis, 0. Jahn ; aureis, NO ; omitted by VLGI.
• extrisse, Statim ; extricte, mss.

a Used in a double sense, implying that he had ruined his
eyes by dissipation and late hours in Antony's company.

442

ON RHETORICIANS

III. Lucius Voltacilius Plotus is said to have been
a slave and even to have served as a doorkeeper in
chains, according to the ancient custom, until he
was set free because of his talent and interest in
letters, and helped his patron prepare his accusations.
Then becoming a teacher of rhetoric, he had Gnaeus
Pompeius the Great for a pupil, and wrote a history
of the exploits of Pompey s father, as well as those
of the son, in several volumes. In the opinion of
Cornelius Nepos, he was the first of all freedmen to
take up the writing of history, which up to that time
had been confined to men of the highest position.

IV. Marcus Epidius, notorious as a blackmailer,
opened a school of oratory and numbered among his
pupils Mark Antony and Augustus ; and when they
once jeered at Gaius Cannutius because he preferred
to side with the political party of Isauricus, the ex-
consul, Cannutius rejoined : " I would rather be a
disciple of Isauricus than of a false accuser like
Epidius." This Epidius claimed descent from
Epidius of Nuceria, who, it is said, once threw
himself into the source of the river Sarnus and came
out shortly afterwards with bull's horns on his head ;
then he at once disappeared and was reckoned among
the number of the gods.

V. Sextus Clodius of Sicily, a teacher of both
Greek and Latin oratory and a man with poor sight
and a sharp tongue, used to say that he had worn
out a pair of eyes a during his friendship with Mark
Antony, the triumvir. He also said of the latter's
wife, Fulvia, one of whose cheeks was somewhat
swollen : " She tempts the point of my pen " 6 ;

6 Used in a double sense ; she tempts me (1) to write a
sharp epigram on her ; (2) to lance her cheek.

443

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

nee eo minus, immo vel magis ob hoc Antonio gratus.
A quo mox consule ingens etiam congiarium accepit,
ut ei in " Philippicis " Cicero obicit : " Adhibes 1 ioci
causa magistrum, sufFragio tuo et compotorum 2
tuorum rhetorem, cui concessisti ut in te quae vellet
diceret, salsum 3 omnino hominem, sed materia
facilis in te 4 et in tuos dicta 5 dicere. At quanta
merces rhetori est data ! Audite, audite, P. G, et
cognoscite rei p. vulnera. Duo milia iugerum campi
Leontini Sex. Clodio rhetori assignasti et quidem
immunia, ut tanta mercede nihil sapere disceres."

VI. C. Albucius Silus, Novariensis, cum aedilitate
in patria fungeretur, cum 6 forte ius diceret, ab iis
contra quos pronuntiabat pedibus e tribunali detrac-
tus est. Quod indigne ferens, statim contendit ad
portam et inde Romam, receptusque in Planci ora-
toris contubernium, cui declamaturo mos erat prius
aliquem qui ante diceret excitare, suscepit eas partes,
atque ita implevit ut Planco silentium imponeret,
non audenti in comparationem se demittere. 7 Sed
ex eo clarus, propria auditoria instituit, solitus
proposita controversia sedens incipere, 8 et calore

1 adhibes, Beroaldus from Cic. ; tibi et, mm. except O,
which omits, marking a lacuna.

2 compotorum, Stephanas from Cic. ; competitorum, mss.
(compett-, I).

8 salsum, L (Pontanus), Beroaldus from Cic, ; the other
mss. have falsum.

4 in te, omitted by VLNG. 6 dicta, omitted by VLOGI.
• cum, mss. (quom, N; euro, V); cumque, Ottdendorp,

ON RHETORICIANS

and by this witticism he rather gained than lost
favour with Antony. When Antony presently be-
came consul, Clodius received from him an enormous
gift, a as Cicero charges against Antony in his
" Philippics " b : " For the sake of his jokes you
employ a schoolmaster, elected a rhetorician by
your vote and those of your pot-companions, and
you have allowed him to say anything he likes
about you ; a witty fellow, no doubt, but it is not
a hard matter to say clever things of you and your
mates. But what pay does this rhetorician receive ?
Listen, senators, listen, and know the wounds which
our country suffers. You made over to this rhetori-
cian, Sextus Clodius, two thousand acres c of the
Leontine territory, and free of taxes too, that at
so great a price you might learn to know nothing."

VI. Gaius Albucius Silus of Novara, while he was
holding the office of aedile in his native town and
chanced to be sitting in judgment, was dragged by
the feet from the tribunal by those against whom
he was rendering a decision. Indignant at this,
he at once made for the gate and went off to Rome.
There he was admitted to the house of the orator
Plancus, who had the habit, when he was going
to declaim, of calling upon someone to speak before
him. Albucius undertook that role, and filled it so
effectively, that he reduced Plancus to silence, since
he did not venture to enter into competition. But
when Albucius had thus become famous, he opened
a lecture room of his own, where it was his habit
after proposing a subject for a debate, to begin
to speak from his seat, and then as he warmed

a See note on Aug, xli. 2. * 2. 17. 42-43.

9 The iugerum is literally about two-thirds of an acre.

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

demum provectus consurgere ac perorare, declamare
autem genere 1 vario : modo splendide atque ador-
nate, turn, ne usque quaque scholasticus existimaretur,
circumcise ac sordide et tantum non 2 trivialibus
verbis. Egit et causas, verum rarius, dum amplissi-
mam quamque sectatur, nec alium in ulla locum quam
perorandi. Postea renuntiavit Foro partim pudore,
partim metu ; nani cum in lite quadam centumvirali,
adversario, quem ut impium erga parentes incessebat,
ius iurandum quasi per figuram sic optulisset : " Iura
per patris matrisque cineres, qui inconditi iacent!"
et alia in hunc modum, arripiente eo condicionem,
nec iudicibus aspernantibus, non sine magna sui
invidia negotium afflixit. Et rursus in cognitione
caedis Mediolani apud L. Pisonem proconsulem
defendens reum, cum cohiberent lictores nimias lau-
dantium voces, et 3 ita excanduisset, ut deplorato
Italiae statu, quasi iterum in formam provinciae
redigeretur, M. insuper Brutum, cuius statua in
conspectu erat, invocaret legum ac libertatis aucto-

1 autem genere, Stephanus ; aut gemere, mss.

2 tantum non, VO ; tamen non, L ; tantum modo, NGI.

3 et, added by Roth.

a See note on Aug. xxxvi.

6 The story is told in more detail in Seneca, Controv. 7,
Praef. 7. The defendant wished to settle the case by taking
oath to the truth of his contention, which was permitted, pro-
vided the opposing counsel gave his consent. Albucius said,

446

ON RHETORICIANS

up, to rise and make his peroration on his feet.
He declaimed, too, in various manners, now in a
brilliant and ornate style, and at another time, not to
be thought invariably academic, speaking briefly, in
everyday language and all but that of the streets.
He also pleaded causes, but rather seldom, taking
part only in those of greatest importance, and even
then confining himself to summing them up. Later
he withdrew from the Forum, partly through shame
and partly through fear. For in a case before the
Hundred he had offered his opponent, whom he
was inveighing against as undutiful towards his
parents, the privilege of taking oath but merely
as a figure of speech, using the following language :
" Swear by the ashes of your father and mother,
who lie unburied " ; and made other remarks in the
same vein. His opponent accepted the challenge ;
and since the judges made no objection, Albucius lost
his case to his great humiliation.^ Again, when he
was defending a client in a murder trial at Medio-
lanum before the proconsul Lucius Piso, and the
lictors tried to suppress the immoderate applause, 6
he grew so angry, that lamenting the condition of
Italy and saying that "it was being reduced once
more to the form of a province," he called besides
upon Marcus Brutus, whose statue was in sight,
as "the founder and defender of our laws and
liberties " ; and for that he narrowly escaped

"I consent, provided I may dictate the oath." But when
he challenged his opponent to swear by the ashes of his father
and mother who lay unburied, and the latter accepted the
condition, Albucius declared that he was speaking figuratively,
and had not intended to give his consent.
c Pliny complains of this nuisance in Epist. 2. 14. 10 ff.

447

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

rem et vindicem, paene poenas luit. Iam autem
senior ob vitium vomicae Novariam rediit, con-
vocataque plebe causis, propter quas mori destin-
asset, diu ac more contionantis redditis, abstinuit
cibo.

448

ON RHETORICIANS

punishment. When already well on in years, he
returned to Novara because he was suffering from a
tumour, called the people together and explained
in a long set speech the reasons which led him to
take his life, and then starved himself to death.

vol. n.

449

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DE POETIS

The following Index has been compiled from
Hieronymus : L. Livius Andronicus, Cn. Naevius,
T. Maccius Plautus, Q. Ennius, Statius Caecilius,
P. Terentius Afer, M. Pacuvius, L. Accius, Sex.
Turpilius, C. Lucilius, P. Quintius Atta, L.
Afranius, L. Pomponius, T. Lucretius Carus, M.
Furius Bibaculus, C. Valerius Catullus, P. Terentius
Varro, D. Laberius, P. Publilius Lochius, Cornificius,
M. Bavius, C. Cornelius Gallus, Aemilius Macer,
Quintilius Varus, P. Vergilius Maro, Albius Tibullus,
Sex. Propertius, Q. Horatius Flaccus, L. Varius
Rufus, P. Ovidius Naso, Philistio, A. Persius Flaccus,
M. Annaeus Lucanus.

The following Sigla are used : —

For Terence : A = cod. Parisinus, 7920, eleventh
century; B = cod. Parisinus, 7921 ; C = cod.
Leidensis Vossianus, 186 ; D = cod. Dresdensis
Elect. 539 b , Reg. D. 101 ; E = cod. Urbinas, 354 ;
F = cod. Reginensis, 1496; G = cod. Neapolitanus,
Mus. Borbon. 411 (all of the fifteenth century);
Z = editio princeps of Donatus, Rome, 1472;
Aid. = Aldine ed. of 1517 ; St = ed. of Stephamis,
Paris, 1529; Dz. = Dziatzko; Reiff. = Reifferscheid.

For Vergil : B = cod. Bernensis, 172, ninth or
tenth century; G = cod. Sangallensis, 862, tentli

45o.

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SIGLA

century; P = cod. Parisinus Lat. 11308 (formerly
Suppl. Lat. 101 1), ninth century; r = Edition of
Vergil by Heyne-Wagener, i. pp. lxxxi. fF.

For Horace : V = cod. Blandinianus Vetustissi-
mus ; <f> = cod. Parisinus, 7974, tenth century ;
if/ = cod. Parisinus, 7971, tenth century; F = </> and
if/ ; k =* Parisinus, 7972, tenth century ; p = Parisinus
Lat. 8214, twelfth century ; r = mss. which contain
the Life in a abridged form ; see note 6, p. 484.

For Tibullus : A = cod. Ambrosianus, R 26 sup.,
fourteenth century ; V = cod. Vaticanus, 3270 ;
% = cod. Guelferbytanus, Ms. Aug. 82, 6 fol., both of
the fifteenth century ; if/ = other mss. or the I tali.

For Aulus Persius Flaccus : A = cod. Montepessu-
lanus, 212, tenth century; B = cod. Vaticanus, tab.
basil. Vat., H. 36, ninth century; P = cod. Monte-
pessulanus, 125, formerly Pithoeanus.

For Lucan : M = cod. Montepessulanus, H. 113 ;
B = cod. Bernensis, 45 ; P = cod. Parisinus, 7502,
formerly Colbertinus, all of the tenth century.

451

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DE POETIS

VITA TERENTI

I. Publius Terentius Afer, Carthagine natus,
serviit Romae Terentio Lucano senatori, a quo ob
ingenium et formam non institutes modo liberaliter
sed et mature manumissus est. Quidam cap turn
esse existimant, quod fieri nullo modo potuisse
Fenestella docet, cum inter finem secundi Punici
belli et initium tertii natus sit et 1 mortuus ; nec
si a Numidis et Gaetulis captus sit, ad ducem 2
Romanum pervenire potuisse, nullo commercio inter
Italicos et Afros nisi post deletam Carthaginem
coepto. Hie cum multis nobilibus familiariter vixit,
sed maxime cum Scipione Africano et C. 3 Laelio.
Quibus etiam corporis gratia conciliatus existimatur,
quod et ipsum Fenestella arguit, contendens utroque
maiorem natu fuisse, quamvis et Nepos aequales
omnes fuisse tradat et Porcius suspicionem de
consuetudine per haec faciat :

1 natus sit et, Aid. ; et natus sit et, Ritschl ; natus est et,

2 ad ducem, mas. ; ad dominum, Gronov {Reif. f Dz.).

3 C. , A F ; the other mss. Juive cum.

45*

ON POETS

THE LIFE OF TERENCE

I. Publius Terentius Afer, born at Carthage, was
the slave at Rome of Terentius Lucanus, a senator,
who because of the young man's talent and good
looks not only gave him a liberal education, but soon
set him free. Some think that he was taken in war,
but Fenestella shows that that could not possibly be,
since Terence was born and died between the end of
the second Punic war and the beginning of the third ; 201-149
and even if he had been taken by the Numidians and B,c#
Gaetulians, he could not have come into the hands
of a Roman general, since commerce between the
Italic and the African races did not begin until
after the destruction of Carthage. He lived on 146b.c.
intimate terms with many men of high rank, in
particular with Scipio Africanus and Gaius Laelius.
It is even thought that he won the favour of these
two men by his youthful beauty, but Fenestella
denies this too, maintaining that he was older than
either of them. Nepos, however, writes that they
were all three of an age, and Porcius rouses a
suspicion of too great intimacy in the following
words ;

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

" Dum lasciviam nobilium et laudes fucosas petit,
Dum Africani vocem divinam inhiat 1 avidis auribus,
Dum ad Philum 2 se cenitare et Laelium pulchrum
putat,

Dum in Albanum crebro rapitur 8 ob florem aetatis
suae :

Post sublatis rebus ad summam inopiam redactus
est.

Itaque e conspectu omnium abit Graeciam in terrain
ultimam,

Mortuust Stymphali, 4 Arcadiae in 5 oppido. Nil
Publius 6

Scipio profuit, nil illi Laelius, nil Furius,
Tres per id tempus qui agitabant nobiles facillime.
Eorum ille opera ne domum quidem habuit con-
ducticiam,

Saltern ut esset quo referret obitum domini ser-
vulus."

II. Scripsit comoedias sex, ex quibus primam
"Andriam" cum aedilibus daret,iussus ante Caecilio 7
recitare, ad cenantem cum venisset, dictus est
initium quidem fabulae, quod erat contemptiore
vestitu, subsellio iuxta lectulum residens legisse,
post paucos vero versus invitatus ut accumberet
cenasse una, dein cetera percucurrisse non sine
magna Caecilii 8 admiratione. Et hanc autem et

1 vocem divinam inhiat, Muretus ; voce dum et inhuius et,
A ; the other mss. have voce divina inhiat.

2 Philum, Roth ; fixu, A ; the other mss. have furium.

8 The reading of Ritschl ; A has dum se amari ab his credat
crebro in Albanum rapitur ; the other mss,, dum . . . credit
. . . rapi.

4 Stymphali, Ritschl ; mortuus est in falo, A, with similar
readings in the other mss, ; Stymphalo, Roth.

* in, added by Roth. 6 Publio, E (Ritschl).

454

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ON POETS— TERENCE

" Though he courted the wantonness of great men
and their counterfeit praise, though with greedy
ears he drank in the divine voice of Africanus, though
he thought it fine to frequent the tables of Philus
and Laelius, though he was often taken to the Alban
villa because of his youthful charms, he later found
himself stripped of his all and reduced to utmost
want. So he withdrew from the sight of men to a
remote part of Greece ancl died at Stymphalus, a
town of Arcady. Naught availed him Publius Scipio,
naught Laelius, naught Furius, the three wealthiest b
nobles of that time. Their help did not give him
even a rented house, to provide at least a place
where his slave might announce his master's death."

II. He wrote six comedies, and when he offered
the first of these, the " Andria," to the aediles, they
bade him first read it to Caecilius. Having come to
the poet's house when he was dining, and being
meanly clad, Terence is said to have read the
beginning of his play sitting on a bench near the
great man's couch. But after a few lines he was
invited to take his place at table, and after dining
with Caecilius, he ran through the rest to his host's

7 caerio, AB ; cenam, 0; the other mss. have cerio.

8 caerii, A ; eorum, O ; the other mss. have cerii (cerrii,
cerei).

° Cf. Hor. EpisL 1. 10. 26 ff. : Non qui Sidonio contendere
caUidus ostro Nescit Aquinatem potantia vellera fucum, Certiua
accipiet damnum propiusve medullis, Quam qui non poterit
vero distinguere faUum.

b fctcillime agitare means " to live most comfortably," or,
" most free from care" ; cf. Ter. Adelph. 601, and the Greek
^€io (Aures. In an opposite sense we have diJficulkUe num-
maria, Tib. xlviii. 1.

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

quinque reliquas aequaliter populo probavit, quamvis
Vulcatius dinumeratione omnium ita scribat :

" Sumetur Hecyra sexta ex his fabula."

"Eunuchus" quidem bis die acta est meruitque
pretium quantum nulla antea cuiusquam comoedia, id
est octo milia nummorum ; propterea summa quoque
titulo ascribitur. Nam " Adelphorum " principium
Varro etiam praefert principio Menandri.

III. Non obscura fama est adiutum Terentium in
scriptis a Laelio et Scipione, eamque ipse auxit
numquam nisi leviter refutare 1 conatus, ut in prologo
" Adelphorum " :

" Nam quod isti dicunt malevoli, homines nobiles
Hunc adiutare assidueque una scribere ;
Quod illi maledictum vehemens esse existumant,
Earn laudem hie ducit maxumam, quom illis placet
Qui vobis univorsis et populo placent,
Quorum opera in bello, in otio, in negotio
Suo quisque tempore usus est sine superbia."

Videtur autem se levius defendisse, quia sciebat et
Laelio et Scipioni non ingratam esse hanc opinionem ;
quae tamen magis et usque ad posteriora tempora
valuit. C. Memmius in oratione pro se ait : " P.
Africanus, qui a Terentio personam mutuatus, quae
domi luserat ipse, nomine illius in scenam detulit."

1 refutare, A ; the other msa. have se tutare (tutari, F).

Text and meaning are uncertain. Dziatzko suggested
submturet (poeta) Hecyra sexta exclusa fabula.
b The didascalia.

That is, presumably, the beginning of the play of Men-
ander on whioh the Adelphoe is based,

45<5

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ON POETS — TERENCE

great admiration. Moreover, this play and the five
others were equally pleasing to the people, although
Vulcatius in enumerating them all, writes thus :

" The sixth play, the ' Hecyra,' will not be
included." °

The " Eunuch " was even acted twice in the same
day and earned more money than any previous
comedy of any writer, namely eight thousand
sesterces; and for this reason the sum is included
in the title-page. 6 Indeed Varro rates the beginning
of the " Adelphoe " above that of Menander. c

III. It is common gossip that Scipio and Laelius
aided Terence in his writings, and he himself lent
colour to this by never attempting to refute it,
except in a half-hearted way, as in the prologue to
the " Adelphoe " :

u For as to what those malicious critics say, that
men of rank aid your poet and constantly write
in concert with him ; what they regard as a grievous
slander, he considers the highest praise, to please
those who please you all and all the people, whose
timely help everyone has used without shame in war,
in leisure, in business."

Now he seems to have made but a lame defence,
because he knew that the report did not displease
Laelius and Scipio ; and it gained ground in spite
of all and came down even to later times. Gaius
Memmius in a speech in his own defence says :
"Publius Africanus, who borrowed a mask from
Terence, and put upon the stage under his
name what he had written himself for his own
amusement at home." Nepos says that he learned

457

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Nepos auctore certo comperisse se ait, C. Laelium
quondam in Puteolano Kal. Martiis admonitum ab
uxore temperius ut discumberet petisse ab ea ne
interpellaret, 1 seroque tandem ingressum triclinium
dixisse, non saepe in scribendo magis sibi successisse ;
deinde rogatum ut scripta ilia proferret pronuntiasse
versus qui sunt in e( Heautontimorumeno " :

" Satis pol proterve me Syri promissa hue indu-
xerunt."

IV. Santra Terentium existimat, si modo in scri-
bendo adiutoribus indiguerit, non tarn Scipione et
Laelio uti potuisse, qui tunc adulescentuli fuerunt,
quam C. Sulpicio Gallo, homine docto et cuius con-
sularibus 2 ludis initium fabularum dandarum fecerit,
vel Q. Fabio Labeone et M. Popillio, consulari utro-
que ac poeta ; ideo ipsum non iuvenes designare qui
se adiuvare dicantur, 3 sed viros " quorum operam et
in bello et in otio et in negotio" populus sit
expertus.

Post editas comoedias nondum quintum atque
vicesimum egressus annum, 4 causa vitandae opinionis
qua videbatur aliena pro suis edere, seu percipiendi
Graecorum instituta moresque, quos non perinde
exprimeret in scriptis, egressus 5 est neque amplius
rediit. De morte eius Vulcatius sic tradit :

1 interpellaret, A ; interpolleretur, F; the other msa. have
i n terpellare tur .

2 et cuius consularibus, A ; et consularibus, D ; the other
mss. have et qui consularibus ; quo consule Megalensibus,

* dicantur, Roth; dicuntur, A; designarentur, D; the other
7ih89. have dicerentur.

4 annum animi, A ; animi causa seu, Dz. (aut, Bdhrens.),

BUschl.

45«

ON POETS— TERENCE

from a trustworthy source that once at his villa
at Puteoli Gaius Laelius was urged by his wife
to come to dinner at an earlier hour than common
on the Kalends of March, but begged her not to
interrupt him. When he at last entered the dining-
room at a late hour, he said that he had seldom
written more to his own satisfaction ; and on being
asked to read what he had written, he declaimed
the lines of the " Heautontimorumenos, ,, beginning :

"Impudently enough, by Heaven, has Syrus lured
me here by promises."

IV. Santra thinks that if Terence had really needed
help in his writing, he would not have been so
likely to resort to Scipio and Laelius, who were then
mere youths, as to Gaius Sulpicius Gallus, a scholarly
man, at whose consular games he brought out his
first play, or to Quintus Fabius Labeo and Marcus
Popillius, both of whom were ex-consuls and poets ;
and that it was for that reason that he spoke, not of
"young men " who were said to help him, but "men
whose mettle the people had tried in war, in leisure,
in business."

After publishing these comedies before he had
passed his twenty-fifth year, either to escape from
the gossip about publishing the work of others as
his own, or else to become versed in Greek manners
and customs, which he felt that he had not been
wholly successful in depicting in his plays, he left
Rome and never returned. Of his death Vulcatius
writes in these words :

* egressuB urbe, Muretus ; urbem, St.

a See not© c on Vtsp. xix. 1.

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

" Sed ut Afer populo sex dedit comoedias.
Iter hinc in Asiam fecit, et 1 navem ut semel
Conscendit, visus numquam est ; sic vita vacat."

V. Q. Cosconius redeuntem e Graecia perisse in mari
dicit cum C. et VIII. 2 fabulis conversis a Menandro.
Ceteri mortuum esse in Arcadia Stymphali 3 sive
Leucadiae 4 tradunt Cn. Cornelio Dolabella M. Fulvio
Nobiliore consulibus, morbo implicitum 5 ex dolore
ac taedio amissarum sarcinarum, 6 quas in nave
praemiserat, ac simul fabularum, quas novas fecerat.

Fuisse dicitur mediocri stature, gracili corpore,
colore fusco. Reliquit filiam, quae post equiti
Romano nupsit ; item hortulos XX iugerum via
Appia ad Martis villam. Quo magis miror Porcium
scribere :

" Scipio nihil profuit, nihil Laelius, nihil Furius,
Tres per id tempus qui agitabant nobiles facillime ;
Eorum ille opera ne domum quidem habuit con-
ducticiam.

Saltern ut esset quo referret obitum domini ser-
vulus." 7

Hunc Afranius quidem omnibus comicis praefert
scribens in " Compitalibus '* :

" Terenti non similem dicens quempiam."

1 et, added by Both ; navem autem, Ritechl.

2 C. et VIII. , omitted by Ritschl, Dz.

8 Omitted as interpolation by Ritichl, Rtiff.

4 sive Leucadiae, A ; the other mns. have sinu Leucadiae ;
sinu Leucadiae after mari, Dz. ; Leucadia, Erasmus.

5 implicita ac, A ; the other mss. have implicitum acri.
s sarcinarum, A ; the other mss. have fabularum.

460

ON POETS— TERENCE

" But when Afer had presented six comedies to
the people, he journeyed from here to Asia, but from
the time he embarked was never seen again ; thus
he vanished from life."

V. Quintus Cosconius writes that he was lost at sea
as he was returning from Greece with one hundred
and eight plays adapted from Menander ; the rest of
our authorities declare that he died at Stymphalus
in Arcadia, or at Leucadia, in the consulship of
Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella and Marcus Fulvius ]59b.c.
Nobilior, having fallen ill from grief and annoyance
at the loss of his baggage, which he had sent on
to the ship, and with it of the new plays which he
had written.

He is said to have been ot moderate height,
slender and of dark complexion. He left a daughter,
who afterwards became the wife of a Roman knight ;
also gardens twenty acres a in extent on the Appian
Way, near the villa of Mars. This makes me feel
the more surprised that Porcius should write :

"Naught availed him Scipio, naught Laelius,
naught Furius, the three wealthiest nobles of that
time. Their aid did not even give him a rented
house, to provide at least a place where his slave
might announce his master's death."

Afranius ranks Terence above all other writers 01
comedy, writing in his " Compitalia " :

" Declaring that no one is the equal of Terence."

7 The last two lines are regarded as an interpolation by
Ritschl, Reiff.

• See note on Rh. v.

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Vulcatius autem non solum Naevio et Plauto et
Caecilio, sed Licinio quoque et Atilio postponit.
Cicero in " Limone " hactenus laudat :

" Tu quoque, qui solus lecto sermone, Terenti,
Conversum expressumque Latina voce Menandrum
In medium nobis sedatis vocibus 1 effers,
Quiddam come loquens atque omnia dulciadicens."

Item C. Caesar :

" Tu quoque, tu in summis, o dimidiate Menander,
Poneris, et merito, puri sermonis amator.
Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adiuncta foret vis,
Comica ut aequato virtus polleret honore
Cum Graecis neve 2 hac despectus parte iaceres !
Unum hoc maceror ac doleo tibi desse, 3 Terenti."

a In hia celebrated " canon," Gell. 15. 24.

6 " Meadow," a fanciful title for a book of miscellaneous
contents, like the "Silvae" of Statius, the "Pratum" of
Suetonius, and the like.

vocibus, ms8.; motibus, Ritschl.

neve, Roth ; neque, mss.

desse, Rituchl ; deesse, mss. (dere, A).

46a

ON POETS— TERENCE

But Vulcatius* puts him not only below Naevius,
Plautus, and Caecilius, but even below Licinius and
Atilius. Cicero in his " Limo " 6 gives him this much
praise :

" Thou, Terence, who alone dost reclothe M enander
in choice speech, and rendering him into the Latin
tongue, dost present him with thy quiet utterance c
on our public stage, speaking with a certain gracious-
ness and with sweetness in every word."

Also Gaius Caesar : d

"Thou too, even thou, art ranked among the
highest, thou half-Menander, and justly, thou lover
of language undefined. But would that thy graceful
verses had force as well, so that thy comic power
might have equal honour with that of the Greeks,
and thou mightest not be scorned in this regard and
neglected. It hurts and pains me, my Terence, that
thou lack est this one quality/ '

Perhaps, "amid a hush of silence" in the audience.
Because of the awkwardness of voce . . . vocibus Bitschl
preferred motibus (animi).

4 Referring to Julius Caesar.

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VITA VERGILI

1 P. Vergilius 1 Maro Mantnanus parentibus modicis
fuit ac praecipue patre, quern quidam opificem
figulum, pi u res Magi cuiusdam viatoris initio
mercennarium, mox ob industriam generum tradi-
derunt, egregieque substantiae silvis eoemendis et

2 apibus curandis auxisse reculam. 2 Natus est Gn.
Pompeio Magno M. Licinio Crasso primum oonss.
Iduum Octobrium die in pago qui Andes dicitur et

3 a best a Mantua non procul. Praegnas eo 8 mater
somniavit enixam se laureum ramum, quern contactu
terrae coaluisse et excrevisse ilico in speciem
maturae arboris refertaeque variis pomis et floribus,
ac sequenti luce cum marito rus propinquum petens
ex itinere devertit atque in subiecta fossa partu

4 levata est. Ferunt infantem ut sit editus neque
vagisse et adeo miti vultu fuisse, ut haud dubiam

5 spem prosperioris geniturae iam turn daret. Et
accessit aliud praesagium, siquidem virga populea
more regionis in puerperiis eodem statim loco
depacta ita brevi evaluit tempore, ut multo ante
satas populos adaequavisset, quae arbor Vergilii ex
eo dicta atque etiam consecrata est summa gravi-

1 The ms8. all have the spelling Vergilius throughout.

2 regulam, mss, * eo, ; enm, O ; cum, BP,

464

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ON POETS— VERGIL

THE LIFE OF VERGIL

Publius Vergilius Maro, a native of Mantua, had
parents of humble origin, especially his father, who
according to some was a potter, although the
general opinion is that he was at first the hired
man of a certain Magus, an attendant on the magis-
trates, later became his son-in-law because of his
diligence, and greatly increased his little property
by buying up woodlands and raising bees. He was
born in the first consulship of Gnaeus Pompeius the
Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus, on the Ides Oct. 15,
of October, in a district called Andes, not far 70b - c -
distant from Mantua. While he was in his mother's
womb, she dreamt that she gave birth to a laurel -
branch, which on touching the earth took root and
grew at once to the size of a full-grown tree, covered
with fruits and flowers of various kinds ; and on the
following day, when she was on the way to a
neighbouring part of the country with her husband,
she turned aside and gave birth to her child in a
ditch beside the road. They say that the infant
did not cry at its birth, and had such a gentle ex-
pression as even then to give assurance of an un-
usually happy destiny. There was added another
omen ; for a poplar branch, which, as was usual in
that region on such occasions, was at once planted
where the birth occurred, grew so fast in a short
time that it equalled in size poplars planted long
before. It was called from him " Vergil's tree " and
was besides worshipped with great veneration by

465

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

darum ac fetarum religione suscipientium ibi et
solventium vota.

6 Initia aetatis Cremonae egit usque ad virilem
togam, quam XV 1 anno natali suo accepit iisdem
illis consulibus iterum duobus, 2 quibus erat natus,
evenitque ut eo ipso die Lucretius poeta dece-

7 deret. Sed Vergilius a Cremona Mediolanum et

8 inde paulo post transiit in urbem. Corpore et
statura fuit grandi, aquilo colore, facie rusticana,
valetudine varia ; nam plerumque a stomacho et
a faucibus ac dolore capitis laborabat, sanguinem

9 etiam saepe reiecit. Cibi vinique minimi ; libidinis
in pueros pronioris, 3 quorum maxime dilexit Cebe-
tem et Alexandrum, quern secunda " Bucolicorum "
egloga Alexim appellat, donatum sibi ab Asinio
Pollione, utrumque non ineruditum, Cebetem vero
et poetam. Vulgatum est consuesse eum et cum

10 Plotia Hieria. Sed Asconius Pedianus adfirmat,
ipsam postea maiorem natu narrare solitam, invita-
tum quidem a Vario ad communionem sui, verum

11 pertinacissime recusasse. Cetera sane vitae et ore
et animo tarn probum constat, ut Neapoli Parthenias
vulgo appellatus sit, ac sj quando Romae, quo
rarissime commeabat, viseretur in publico, sectantis
demonstrantisque se subterfugeret 4 in proximum

12 tectum. Bona autem cuiusdam exsulantis offerente

13 Augusto non sustinuit accipere. Possedit prope

1 XVII, BP ; VII, G. 2 duobus, omitted by G.

3 promoris, G; pronior his, BP.

4 subter fugere, G ; subterfugere soli turn, ; sufifugere,

BP; suffugeret, Reiff.
466

ON POETS — VERGIL

pregnant and newly delivered women, who made and
paid vows beneath it.

Vergil spent his early life at Cremona until he
assumed the gown of manhood, upon his fifteenth
birthday, in the consulship of the same two men
who had been consuls the year he was born; and 55b.c.
it chanced that the poet Lucretius died that very
same day. Vergil, however, moved from Cremona
to Mediolanum, and shortly afterwards from there
to Rome. He was tall and of full habit, with
a dark complexion and a rustic appearance. His
health was variable ; for he very often suffered from
stomach and throat troubles, as well as with head-
ache ; and he also had frequent haemorrhages. He
ate and drank but little. He was especially given
to passions for boys, and his special favourites were
Cebes and Alexander, whom he calls Alexis in the
second poem of his " Bucolics." This boy was given
him by Asinius Pollio, and both his favourites had
some education, while Cebes was even a poet. It is
common report that he also had an intrigue with
Plotia Hieria. But Asconius Pedianus declares that
she herself used to say afterwards, when she was
getting old, that Vergil was invited by Varius to
associate with her, but obstinately refused. Certain
it is that for the rest of his life he was so modest in
speech and thought, that at Naples he was commonly
called " Parthenias," a and that whenever he ap-
peared in public in Rome, where he very rarely went,
he would take refuge in the nearest house, to avoid
those who followed and pointed him out. Moreover,
when Augustus offered him the property of a man
who had been exiled, he could not make up his mind
• " The Maiden."

467

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

centiens sestertium ex liberalitatibus amicorum
habuitque domum Romae Esquiliis iuxta hortos
Maecenatianos, quaniquam secessu Campaniae

14 Siciliaeque plurimuui uteretur. Parentes iam
grandis amisit, ex quibus patrem captum oculis,
et duos fratres germanos, Silonem inpuberem,
Flaccum iam adultum, cuius exitum sub nomine

15 Daphnidis deflet. Inter cetera studia medicinae
quoque ac maxime mathematicae operam dedit.
Egit et causam apud iudices unam omnino nec

16 amplius quam semel ; nam et in sermone tardis-
simum eum ac paene indocto similem fuisse Melissus
tradidit.

17 Poeticam puer adhuc auspicatus in Ballistam ludi
magistrum ob infamiam latrociniorum coopertum
lapidibus distichon fecit :

ts Monte sub hoc lapidum tegitur Ballista sepultus ;
Nocte die tutum carpe, viator, iter."

Deinde "Catalepton" 1 et "Priapea" et "Epigram-
mata " et u Diras," item " Cirim " et " Culicem," cum

18 esset annorum XVI. Cuius materia talis est. Pastor
fatigatus aestu cum sub arbore condormisset et
serpens ad eum proreperet, 2 e palude culex provolavit
atque inter duo tempora aculeum fixit pastori. At
ille continuo culicem contrivit 3 et serpentem in-

1 The m*8. have catalccton.

2 proriperet, B l P ; praereperet, Q,
1 attrivit (adt-), BP.

468

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ON POETS— VERGIL

to accept it. He possessed nearly ten million ses-
terces from the generous gifts of friends, and he had
a house at Rome on the Esquiline, near the gardens
of Maecenas, although he usually lived in retirement
in Campania and in Sicily.

He was already grown up when he lost his parents,
of whom his father previously went blind, and two
own brothers : Silo, who died in childhood, and
Flaccus, who lived to grow up, and whose death he
laments under the name of Daphnis.*

Among other studies he gave attention also to
medicine and in particular to mathematics. He
pleaded one single case in court too, but no more ;
for, as Melissus has told us, he spoke very slowly and
almost like an uneducated man.

He made his first attempt at poetry when he was
still a boy, composing the following couplet on a
schoolmaster called Ballista, who was stoned to death
because of his evil reputation for brigandage :

" Under this mountain of stones Ballista is covered
and buried ;

Wayfarer, now night and day follow your course
without fear."

Then he wrote the " Catalepton," "Priapea,"
"Epigrams" and the "Dirae," as well as the
"Ciris" and the "Culex" when he was sixteen
years old. The story of the " Culex " is this. When
a shepherd, exhausted by the heat, had fallen asleep
under a tree, and a snake was creeping upon him, a
gnat flew from a marsh and stung the shepherd
between his two temples; he at once crushed the

• Eel. 5. 20.

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

teremit ac sepulchrum culici statuit et distichon
fecit :

" Parve culex, pecudum custos tibi tale merenti
Funeris officium vitae pro munere reddit."

19 Scripsit etiam de qua ambigitur " Aetnam." Mox
cum res Romanas inchoasset, offensus materia ad
"Bucolica " transiit, maxime ut Asinium Pollionem,
Alfenum Varum et Cornelium Galium celebraret,
quia in distributione agrorum, qui post Philippensem
victoriam veteranis triumvirorum iussu trans Padum

20 dividebantur, indemnem se praestitissent. Deinde
scripsit " Georgica " in honorem Maecenatis, qui
sibi mediocriter adhuc noto opem tulisset adversus
veterani cuiusdam violentiam, a quo in altercatione

21 litis agrariae paulum afuit quin occideretur. Novis-
sime " Aeneidem" inchoavit, argumentum varium ac
multiplex et quasi amborum Homeri carminum
instar, praeterea nominibus ac rebus Graecis Latin-
isque commune, et in quo, quod maxime studebat,
Romanae simul urbis et Augusti origo contineretur.

22 Cum " Georgica " scriberet, traditur cotidie meditatos
mane plurimos versus dictare solitus ac per totum
diem retractando ad paucissimos redigere, non

» Culex, 413 t

47°

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ON POETS — VERGIL

gnat and killed the snake ; then he made a tomb for
the insect, inscribed with this couplet :

" Thee, tiny gnat, well deserving, the flock's grateful
keeper now offers
For the gift of his life due funeral rites in
requital." a

He also wrote the " Aetna," though its authorship
is disputed. Presently he began to write of Roman
story, but thinking himself unequal to the subject,
turned to the " Bucolics," especially in order to sing .
the praises of Asinius Pollio, Alfenus Varus, and
Cornel iusGallus, because at the time of the assignment
of the lands beyond the Po, which were divided
among the veterans by order of the triumvirs after
the victory at Philippi, these men had saved him
from ruin. Then he wrote the "Georgics" in 42b.o.
honour of Maecenas, because he had rendered him
aid, when the poet was still but little known, against
the violence of one of the veterans, from whom
Vergil narrowly escaped death in a quarrel about
his farm. Last of all he began the "Aeneid,"
a varied and complicated theme, and as it were
a mirror of both the poems of Homer; moreover
it treated Greek and Latin personages and affairs
in common, and contained at the same time an
account of the origin of the city of Rome and
of Augustus, which was the poet's special aim.
When he was writing the " Georgics," it is said to
have been his custom to dictate each day a large
number of verses which he had composed in the
morning, and then to spend the rest of the day in
reducing them to a very small number, wittily

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

absurd e carmen se more ursae parere dicens et
23 lambendo demum effingere. " Aeneida " prosa prius
oration e formatam digestamque in XII libros particu-
latim componere instituit, prout liberet quidque, et
84 nihil in ordinem arripiens. Ac 1 ne quid impetum
moraretur, quaedam inperfecta transmisit, alia
levissimis verbis veluti fulsit, quae per iocum pro tibi-
cinibus interponi aiebat ad sustinendum opus, donee

25 solidae columnae advenirent. u Bucolica " triennio,
"Georgica" VII, "Aeneida" XI perfecit annis.

26 " Bucolica" eo successu edidit, ut in scena 2 quoque per

27 cantores crebro pronuntiarentur. "Georgica" re verso
post Actiacam victoriam A u gusto atque Atellae
reficiendarum faucium causa commoranti per con-
tinuum quadriduum legit, suscipiente Maecenate
legendi vicem, quotiens interpellaretur ipse vocis

28 offensione. Pronuntiabat autem cum suavitate et 8

29 lenociniis miris. Ac 4 Seneca tradidit, Iulium
Montanum poetam solitum dicere, involaturum se
Vergilio quaedam, si et vocem posset et os et
hypocrisin ; eosdem enim versus ipso pronuntiante

30 bene sonare, sine illo inanes esse mutosque. " Aenei-
dos " vixdum coeptae tanta exstitit fama, ut Sextus
Propertius non dubitaverit sic praedicare :

" Cedite, Romani scriptores, ced\te Grai :
Nescio quid maius nascitur Iliade."

1 ac, O ; ut, BP, a scenam, BP ; sena, O.

* suavitate et, r » suavitate cum, BP ; sua vita tern, Q.

4 ac, Hagen ; et, Beiff, ; ut, mss.

» % 34. 66 f.

47*

ON POETS— VERGIL

remarking that he fashioned his poem after the
manner of a she-bear, and gradually licked it into
shape. In the case of the " Aeneid," after writing
a first draft in prose and dividing it into twelve
books, he proceeded to turn into verse one part after
another, taking them up just as he fancied, in no
particular order. And that he might not check the
flow of his thought, he left some things unfinished,
and, so to speak, bolstered others up with very slight
words, which, as he jocosely used to say, were put
in like props, to support the structure until the solid
columns should arrive.

The " Bucolics " he finished in three years, the
" Georgics " in seven, the " Aeneid " in twelve.
The success of the " Bucolics " on their first appear-
ance was such, that they were even frequently
rendered by singers on the stage. When Augustus
was returning after his victory at Actium and
lingered at Atella to treat his throat, Vergil read
the " Georgics " to him for four days in succession,
Maecenas taking his turn at the reading whenever
the poet was interrupted by the failure of his voice.
His own delivery, however, was sweet and wonder-
fully effective. In fact, Seneca has said that the
poet Julius Montanus used to declare that he would
have purloined some of Vergil's work, if he could
also have stolen his voice, expression, and dramatic
power; for the same verses sounded well when
Vergil read them, which on another's lips were flat
and toneless. Hardly was the "Aeneid" begun,
when its repute became so great that Sextus
Propertius a did not hesitate to declare :

" Yield, ye Roman writers ; yield, ye Greeks ;
A greater than the Iliad is born."

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31 Augustus vero — nam forte expeditione Cantabrica
aberat — supplicibus at que etiam minacibus per iocum
litteris efflagitarat, ut " sibi de ' Aeneide/ " ut ipsius
verba sunt, " vel prima carminis vrroypcufrrj vel quod-

32 libet ku\ov mitteretur." Cui tamen multo post per-
fectaque demum materia tres omnino libros recitavit,
secundum, quartum et sextum, sed hunc notabili
Octaviae adfectione, quae cum recitationi interesset,
ad illos de filio suo versus, "tu Marcellus ens/'

33 defecisse fertur atque aegre focilata est. Recitavit
et pluribus, sed neque frequenter et ea fere de quibus
ambigebat, quo magis iudicium hominum experiretur.

34 Erotem librarium et libertum eius exactae iam
senectutis tradunt referre solitum, quondam eum in
recitando duos dimidiatos versus complesse ex tem-
pore. Nam cum hactenus haberet : " Misenum
Aeoliden" adiecisse : "quo non praestantior alter,"
item huic : "aere ciere viros," simili calore iactatum
subiunxisse : t€ Martemque accendere cantu," statim-
que sibi imperasse ut utrumque volumini ascriberet.

35 Anno aetatis quinquagesimo sec undo inpositurus
"Aeneidi" summam manum statuit in Graeciam et
in Asiam secedere triennioque continuo nihil amplius
quam emendare, ut reliqua vita tantum philosophiae
vacaret. Sed cum ingressus iter Athenis occurrisset
Augusto ab Oriente Romam revertenti destinaretque 1

1 destinaretque, G ; destinareque, B l P.

• Aen. 6. 884 f. » Aen. 6. 164.

• Aen. 6. 165.

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ON POETS— VERGIL

Augustus indeed (for it chanced that he was away
on his Cantabrian campaign) demanded in entreating
and even jocosely threatening letters that Vergil
send him " something from the ' Aeneid ' " ; to use
his own words, " either the first draft of the poem or
any section of it that he pleased." But it was not
until long afterwards, when the material was at last
in shape, that Vergil read to him three books in all,
the second, fourth, and sixth. The last of these*
produced a remarkable effect on Octavia, who was
present at the reading ; for it is said that when he
reached the verses about her son, " Thou shalt be
Marcellus," a she fainted and was with difficulty
revived. He gave readings also to various others,
but never before a large company, selecting for the
most part passages about which he was in doubt, in
order to get the benefit of criticism. They say that
Eros, his amanuensis and freedman, used to report,
when he was an old man, that Vergil once completed
two half-verses off-hand in the course of a reading.
For having before him merely the words " Misenum
Aeoliden," he added " quo non praestantjor alter," b
and again to " aere ciere viros " he joined " Martem-
que accendere cantu," e thrown off with like inspira-
tion, and he immediately ordered Eros to add both
half-lines to his manuscript.

In the fifty-second year of his age, wishing to give
the final touch to the " Aeneid," he determined to
go away to Greece and Asia, and after devoting
three entire years to the sole work of improving his
poem, to give up the rest of his life wholly to
philosophy. But having begun his journey, and
at Athens meeting Augustus, who was on his way
back to Rome from the Orient, he resolved not to part

475

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non absistere atque etiam una redire, dum Megara
vicinum oppidum ferventissimo sole cognoscit, lan-
guorem nactus est eumque non intermissa naviga-
tione auxit ita ut gravior 1 aliquanto Brundisium
appelleret, ubi diebus paucis obiit XI Kal. Octobr.
3G Cn. Sentio Q. Lucretio conss. Ossa eius Neapolim
translata sunt tumuloque condita qui est via Puteo-
lana intra lapidem secundum, in quo distichon fecit
tale:

" Mantua me genuit, Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc
Parthenope ; cecini pascua rura duces."

37 Heredes fecit ex dimidia parte Valerium Proculum
fratrem alio patre, ex quarta Augustum, ex duo-
decima Maecenatem, ex reliqua L. Varium et Plotium
Tuccam, qui eius "Aeneida" post obitum iussu

38 Caesaris emendaverunt. De qua re Sulpicii Cartha-
giniensis exstant huiusmodi versus :

" Iusserat haec rapidis aboleri carmina flammis
Vergilius, Phrygium quae cecinere ducem.

Tucca vetat Variusque ; simul tu, maxime Caesar,
Non sinis et Latiae consulis historiae.

Infelix gemino cecidit prope Pergamon igni,
Et paene est alio Troia cremata 2 rogo."

1 gravior, mss.; aegrior, Hagen.

2 cremata sepulta, G ; sepulta, Hagen,

476

ON POETS— VERGIL

from the emperor and even to return with him ; but
in the course of a visit to the neighbouring town of
Megara in a very hot sun, he was taken with a fever,
and added to his disorder by continuing his journey ;
hence on his arrival at Brundisium he was con-
siderably worse, and died there on the eleventh day
before the Kalends of October, in the consulship of
Gnaeus Sentius and Quintus Lucretius. His ashes Sept. 21,
were taken to Naples and laid to rest on the via 19 B C *
Puteolana less than two miles from the city, in a
tomb for which he himself composed this couplet :
" Mantua gave me the light, Calabria slew me ; now
holds me

Parthenope. I have sung shepherds, the
country, and wars."
He named as his heirs Valerius Proculus, his half-
brother, to one-half of his estate, Augustus to one-
fourth, Maecenas to one-twelfth ; the rest he left to
Lucius Varius and Plotius Tucca, who revised the
" Aeneid " after his death by order of Augustus.
With regard to this matter we have the following
verses of Sulpicius of Carthage :

" Vergil had bidden these songs by swift flame be
turned into ashes,
Songs which sang of thy fates, Phrygia's leader
renowned.

Varius and Tucca forbade, and thou, too, greatest
of Caesars,

Adding your veto to theirs, Latium's story
preserved.

All but twice in the flames unhappy Pergamum
perished

Troy on a second pyre narrowly failed of her
doom."

477

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

39 Egerat cum Vario, priusquam Italia decederet, ut
siquid sibi accidisset, " Aeneida" combureret; at is 1
ita facturum se pernegarat ; igitur in extrema vale-
tudine assidue scrinia desideravit, crematurus ipse ;
verum nemine offerente nihil quidem nominatim de

40 ea cavit. Ceterum eidem Vario ac simul Tuccae
scripta sua sub ea condicione legavit, ne quid

41 ederent, quod non a se editum esset. Edidit autem
auctore Augusto Varius, sed summatim emendata, ut
qui versus etiam inperfectos sicut 2 erant reliquerit ;
quos multi mox supplere conati non perinde valuerunt
ob difficultatem, quod omnia fere apud eum hemi-
stichia absoluto perfectoque sunt sensu, praeter illud :

42 " quern tibi iam Troia." Nisus grammaticus audisse
se a senioribus aiebat, Varium duorum librorum
ordinem commutasse, et qui tunc secundus esset 3 in
tertium locum transtulisse, etiam primi libri correxisse
principium, his versibus demptis :

" Ille ego qui quondam gracili modulatus avena
Carmina et egressus silvis vicina coegi,
Ut quamvis avido parerent arva colono,
Gratum opus agricolis, at nunc horrentia Martis —
Arma virumque cano."

1 at is, Hagen ; sed is, Reiff. ; et is, BP ; omitted (Italia
... at is) by G.

2 sicut, Gronov.; si qui, m88.

8 tunc . . . esset, Hagen ; nunc . . . sit, mss.

• Cf. Aug. ci. 3.

6 A en. 3. 340. This is no real exception, for we probably
have the line as Vergil intended to leave it. Andromache
purposely avoids naming the amisme parentis (341).

47 8

ON POETS— VERGIL

He had arranged with Varius, before leaving Italy,
that if anything befell him a his friend should burn
the " Aeneid " ; but Varius had emphatically declared
that he would, do no such thing. Therefore in his
mortal illness Vergil constantly called for his book-
boxes, intending to burn the poem himself ; but
when no one brought them to him, he made no
specific request about the matter, but left his writ-
ings jointly to the above mentioned Varius and to
Tucca, with the stipulation that they should publish
nothing which he himself would not have given to
the world. However, Varius published the " Aeneid"
at Augustus' request, making only a few slight cor-
rections, and even leaving the incomplete lines just
as they were. These last many afterwards tried to
finish, but failed owing to the difficulty that nearly
all the half-lines in Vergil are complete in sense and
meaning, the sole exception being "Quem tibi iam
Troia." b The grammarian Nisus used to say that he
had heard from older men that Varius changed the
order of two of the books and made what was then the
second book the third ; also that he emended the
beginning of the first book by striking out the
lines :

"I who on slender reed once rustic numbers did
render,

Parting then from the groves, commanded the

neighbouring fallows
Tribute to pay to their lords, however much they

exacted,

Task hailed with joy by the hind ; but now dread

deeds of the war-god,
Arms and the hero I sing."

479

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

43 Obtrectatores Vergilio numquam defuerunt, nec
minim ; nam nec Homero quidem. Prolatis " Buco-
licis " Numitorius quidam rescripsit " Antibucolica,''
duas inodo eglogas, sed insulsissime irap<p&q<ras
quarum prions initium est :

"Tityre, si toga calda tibi est, quo tegmine fagi ? "
sequentis :

" Die raihi Damoeta : ' cuium pecus ' anne
Latinum ?

Non. Verum Aegonis nostri, sic rure locuntur."

Alius recitante eo ex " Georgicis " : " nudus ara, sere

44 nudus " subiecit : " habebis frigore febrem." Est et
adversus "Aeneida" liber Carvili Pictoris, titulo
" Aeneomastix." M. Vipsanius a Maecenate eum
suppositum appellabat novae cacozeliae repertore,
non tumidae ;nec exilis, sed ex communibus verbis,
atque ideo latentis. Herennius tantum vitia eius,

45 Perellius Faustus furta contraxit. Sed et Q. Octavi
Aviti 'OfioLOTrjnav octo volumina quos et unde versus

46 transtulerit continent. Asconius Pedianus libro,
quern " Contra obtrectatores Vergilii " scripsit, pauca
admodum obiecta ei proponit eaque circa historiam
fere et quod pleraque ab Homero sumpsisset ; sed

° " Plough naked, naked sow."
6 "A chill will give you the fever."
c The scourge of Aeneas.
d See Aug. Ixxxvi. 2.

480

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ON POETS— VERGIL

Vergil never lacked detractors, which is not strange ;
for neither did Homer. When the " Bucolics" ap-
peared, a certain Numitorius wrote " Anti-bucolics,"
consisting of but two poems, which were a very
insipid parody. The first began as follows :

"Tityrus, if a warm toga you have, why then a
beech mantle ? "

The second : —

" Tell me, Damoetas, I pray, is € cuium pecus ' really
good Latin ?

Nay, but our Aegon's way, and thus men talk in
the country/'

Another man, when Vergil recited from his
"Georgics," "nudus ara, sere nudus,"* added
"habebis frigore febrem." b There is also a book in
criticism of the " Aeneid " by Carvilius Pictor, called
" Aeneomastix." e Marcus Vipsanius called Vergil a
supposititious child of Maecenas, that inventor of a
new kind of affected language/* neither bombastic
nor of studied simplicity, but in ordinary words and
hence less obvious. Herennius made selections
confined to his defects, and Perellius Fausta to his
pilferings. More than that, the eight volumes of
Quintus Octavius Avitus, entitled " Resemblances,"
contain the verses which he borrowed, with their
sources. Asconius Pedianus, in a book which he
wrote " Against the Detractors of Vergil," sets forth
a very few of the charges against him, and those for
the most part dealing with history and with the
accusation that he borrowed a great deal from
Homer ; but he says that Vergil used to meet this

481

vol. 11. 1 1

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

hoc ipsum crimen sic defendere adsuetum ait: cur
non illi quoque eadem furta temptarent ? Verum
intellecturos facilius esse Herculi clavam quam
Homero versum subripere. Et tamen destinasse
secedere ut omnia ad satietatem malevolorum
decideret.

482

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ON POETS— VERGIL

latter accusation with these word : « Why don't my
critics also attempt the same thefts? If they do,
they will realize that it is easier to filch his club
from Hercules than a line from Homer." Yet
Asconius says that Vergil had intended to go into
retirement, in order to prune down everything to the
satisfaction of carping critics.

i i 2

4*3

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

VITA HORATI

Q. Horatius Flaccus, Venusinus, patre ut ipse
tradit libertino et exactionum coactore (ut vero 1
creditum est salsamentario, cum illi quidam in alter-
catione exprobrasset 2 : " Quotiens ego vidi patrem
tuum brachio se emungentem ! ") bello Philippensi
excitus a Marco Bruto imperatore, tribunus militum
meruit ; victisque partibus venia impetrata scriptum
quaestorium comparavit. Ac primo Maecenati, mox
Augusto insinuatus non mediocrem in amborum
amicitia locum tenuit. Maecenas quantopere eum
dilexerit 8 satis testatur 4 illo epigrammate :

" Ni te visceribus meis, Horati,
Plus iam diligo, tu tuum sodalem
Ninnio 5 videas strigosiorem " ;

sed multo magis extremis iudiciis tali ad Augustum
elogio : " Horati Flacci ut mei esto memor " f

Augustus 6 epistolarum quoque ei officium optulit,
ut 7 hoc ad Maecenatem scripto significat : « Ante

1 vero, Muretns ; vere, mas. ; fere, Caaaubon.
8 exprobasset, F\.

s dilexerit, 5- ; the other mss. have dilexit.
4 testatur, Fxp ; monstratur, V.

8 nimio, m&8. (ninio, <f>) ; Ninnio, P. Pithoeus ; hinnulo,
Oudendorp ; hinno me, Lambinus ; simio, Sudhava,

6 Augustus . . . Caesar (p. 488, I. 8) omitted in f.

7 ut, added by Lambinus.

484

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ON POETS — HORACE

LIFE OF HORACE

Quintus Horatius Flaccus of Venusia had for a
father, as he himself writes, a freedman who was a
collector of money at auctions ; but it is believed
that he was a dealer in salted provisions, for a
certain man in a quarrel thus taunted Horace :
" How often have I seen your father wiping his nose
with his arm ! " Horace served as tribune of the
soldiers in the war of Philippi, at the instance of
Marcus Brutus, one of the leaders in that war.
When his party was vanquished, he was pardoned
and purchased the position of a quaestor's clerk.
Then contriving to win the favour, first of Maecenas
and later of Augustus, he held a prominent place
among the friends of both. How fond Maecenas
was of him is evident enough from the well known
epigram :

" If that I do not love you, my own Horace, more
than life itself, behold your comrade leaner than
Ninnius." a

But he expressed himself much more strongly in
his last will and testament in this brief remark
to Augustus : "Be as mindful of Horatius Flaccus
as of myself." Augustus offered him the post
of secretary, as appears in this letter of his to
Maecenas: "Before this I was able to write my

a Ninniu8 is unknown, but if the reading be correct, he
was notorious for his leanness ; cf. Telegenius, Claud, xl. 3.

48S

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

ipse sufficiebam scribendis epistulis amicorum, nunc
occupatissimus et infirmus Horatium nostrum a 1 te
cupio abducere. Veniet ergo ab ista parasitica
mensa ad hanc regiani, et nos in epistulis scribendis
iuvabit." Ac ne recusanti quidem aut suscensuit
quicquam aut amicitiam suam ingerere desiit. Exstant
epistulae, e quibus argumenti gratia pauca subieci :
" Sume tibi aliquid iuris apud me, tamquam si con-
victor mihi fueris ; recte enim et non temere feceris,
quoniam id usus mihi tecum esse volui, si per vali-
tudinem tuam fieri possit." Et rursus : "Tui qualem
habeam memoriam, poteris ex Septimio quoque
nostro audire ; nam incidit ut illo coram fieret a me
tui mentio. Neque enim si tu superbus amicitiam
nostram sprevisti, ideo nos quoque avOvTvefrq^avov-
/xcy." 2 Praeterea saepe eum inter alios iocos " puris-
simum penem " 3 et " homuncionem lepidissimum "
appellat, unaque et altera liberalitate locupletavit.
Scripta quidem eius usque adeo probavit mansuraque
perpetuo 4 opinatus est, ut non modo Saeculare car-
men componendum iniunxerit sed et Vindelicam
victoriam Tiberii Drusique, privignorum suorum,
eumque coegerit propter hoc tribus Carminum libris
ex longo intervallo quartum addere ; post Sermones
vero quosdam lectos nullam sui mentionem habitam
ita sit questus : " Irasci me tibi scito, quod non in

1 a, added by Nannius. 2 Casaubon.

' penem, Muretus ; pene, ms8.

4 perpetuo, V ; the other mss. have perpetua.

<* It seems probable that there is a word-play on the
double sense of rear, "king" and "wealthy patron," since
Augustus would hardly use regiam literally of his table.
The meaning would then be "let the parasite change tables
(and patrons)."

» See Th. Birt, Midler's Handbuch, 1». 3. 166,

4»$

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ON POETS— HORACE

letters to my friends with my own hand ; now over-
whelmed with work and in poor health, I desire to
take our friend Horace from you. He will come
then from that parasitic table of yours to my
imperial board, and help me write my letters." a
Even when Horace declined, Augustus showed no
resentment at all, and did not cease his efforts to
gain his friendship. We have letters from which I
append a few extracts by way of proof : "Enjoy any
privilege at my house, as if you were making your
home there ; for it will be quite right and proper
for you to do so, inasmuch as that was the relation
which I wished to have with you, if your health had
permitted." And again, " How mindful I am of you
our friend Septimius can also tell you ; for it chanced
that I spoke of you in his presence. Even if you
were so proud as to scorn my friendship, I do not
therefore return your disdain." Besides this, among
other pleasantries, he often calls him "a most im-
maculate libertine " 6 and " his charming little man,"
and he made him well to do by more than one act of
generosity. As to his writings, Augustus rated them
so high, and was so convinced that they would be
immortal, that he not only appointed him to write
the Secular Hymn, but also bade him celebrate
the victory of his stepsons Tiberius and Drusus over
the Vindelici, and so compelled him to add a fourth
to his three books of lyrics after a long silence.
Furthermore, after reading several of his " Talks," c
the Emperor thus expressed his pique that no men-
tion was made of him : " You must know that I am

c Sermone8 was apparently the title which Horace gave his
"Satires"; the term saturae is broader and covers the
Epistles as well ; see p. 488 and note b.

487

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

plerisque eius modi scriptis mecum potissimum
loquaris ; an vereris ne apud posteros infame tibi sit,
quod videaris familiaris nobis esse ? " Expressitque
eclogam ad se, cuius initium est :
"Cum tot sustineas et tanta negotia solus,

Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes,

Legibus emendes : in publica commoda peccem,

Si longo sermone morer tua tempora, Caesar."

Habitu corporis fuit brevis atque obesus, qualis et
a semet ipso in saturis describitur et ab Au gusto hac
epistula : " Pertulit ad me Onysius libel lum tuum,
quern ego ut excusantem, 1 quant uluscumque est, boni
consulo. Vereri autem mihi videris ne maiores libelli
tui sint, quam ipse es ; sed tibi statura deest, cor-
pusculum non deest. Itaque licebit in sextariolo
scribas, ut circuitus voluminis tui sit oyfcctfoc'oraros,
sicut est ventriculi tui."

Ad res Venerias intemperantior traditur ; nam
speculate cubiculo scorta dicitur habuisse disposita,
ut quocumque respexisset ibi ei imago coitus re-
ferretur. Vixit plurimum in secessu ruris sui Sabini
aut Tiburtini, domusque eius 2 ostenditur circa
Tiburni luculum. * # * # 8 Venerunt in manus meas
et elegi sub titulo eius et epistula prosa oratione quasi
commendantis se Maecenati, sed utraque falsa puto ;
nam elegi vulgares, epistula etiam obscura, quo vitio
minime tenebatur.

1 accusantem, mss. ; excusantem, Reiff. ; ut accusem te,
BcnUey.

1 eius, V; the other mss. omit.

3 O. John indicated a lacuna; there is no mention of
Horace* 8 genuine toorks.

• Epi»t. 2. 1. 1 ff.

* Ej>i*l. 1. 4. 15 ; 1. 20. 24 ; see note on p. 487.

488

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ON POETS— HORACE

not pleased with you, that in your numerous writings

of this kind you do not talk with me, rather than

with others. Are you afraid that your reputation

with posterity will suffer because it appears that you

were my friend?" In this way he forced from

Horace the selection which begins with these words :

•

€€ Seeing that single-handed thou dost bear the bur-
den of tasks so many and so great, protecting Italy's
realm with arms, providing it with morals, reforming
it by laws, I should sin against the public weal,
Caesar, if I wasted thy time with long discourse." •

In person he was short and fat, as he is described
with his own pen in his satires b and by Augustus
in the following letter : " Onysius has brought me
your little volume, and I accept it, small as it is, in
good part, as an apology. But you seem to me to be
afraid that your books may be bigger than you are
yourself ; but it is only stature that you lack, not
girth. So you may write on a pint pot, that the
circumference of your volume may be well rounded
out, like that of your own belly. ,,

It is said that he was immoderately lustful ; for it
is reported that in a room lined with mirrors he had
harlots so arranged that whichever way he looked,
he saw a reflection of venery. He lived for the most
part in the country on his Sabine or Tiburtine estate,
and his house is pointed out near the little grove of
Tiburnus. I possess some elegies attributed to his
pen and a letter in prose, supposed to be a recom-
mendation of himself to Maecenas, but I think that
both are spurious ; for the elegies are commonplace
and the letter is besides obscure, which was by no
means one of his faults*

489

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Natus est VI Idus Decembris L. Cotta et L.
Torquato consulibus, decessit V Kl. Decembris C.
Marcio 1 Censorino et C. Asinio Gallo consulibus post
nonum et quinquagesimum diem quam Maecenas
obierat, aetatis agens septimum et quinquagesimum 2
annum, herede Augusto palam nuncupate*, cum
urgente vi valitudinis non sufficeret ad obsignandas
testamenti tabulas. Humatus et conditus est ex-
tremis Esquiliis iuxta Maecenatis tumulum.

1 Marcio, Bongars ; mario, rms.

* diem . . . quinquagesimum, supplied by VaJUen ; see
Hermes, 33. 245.

490

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ON POETS—HORACE

He was born on the sixth day before the Ides of
December in the consulate of Lucius Cotta and Dec. 8,
Lucius Torquatus, and died on the fifth day before 66 B,a
the Kalends of the same month in the consulship of
Gaius Marcius Censorinus and Gaius Asinius Gallus,
fifty-nine days after the death of Maecenas, in his Nov. 27,
fifty-seventh year. He named Augustus as his heir 8 EC '
by word of mouth, since he could not make and sign
a will because of the sudden violence of his ailment.
He was buried and laid to rest near the tomb of
Maecenas on the farther part of the Esquiline
Hill.

49*

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

VITA TIBULLI

" Te quoque Vergilio comitem non aequa, Tibulle,
Mors iuvenem campos misit ad Elysios,
Ne foret, aut elegis molles qui fleret amores
Aut caneret forti regia bella pede."

Albius Tibullus eques Romanus, 1 insignis forma
cultuque corporis observabilis, ante alios Corvinum
Messalam oratorem 8 dilexit, cuius etiam contuber-
nalis Aquitanico bello militaribus donis donatus est.
Hie multorum iudicio principem inter elegiographos
obtinet locum. Epistolae quoque eius amatoriae,
quamquam breves, omnino utiles sunt. Obiit adu-
lescens, ut indicat epigramma supra scriptum.

1 eques Romanus, ^ ; eques Regalia, A ; eques R(omanus)
e Gabiis Bahrens.
8 oratorem, ^ ; origincm, A.

49»

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ON POETS— TIBULLUS

THE LIFE OF TIBULLUS

K Thee too, Tibullus, companion of Vergil, envious
death sent in youth to the Elysian fields, that there
might be no one to mourn tender loves in elegy, or
sing the wars of kings in heroic verse." a

Albius Tibullus, a Roman knight, remarkable tor
his good looks and conspicuous for his personal
elegance, was devoted above all others to Messala
Corvinus the orator. He was his tent companion 6 in
the war in Aquitania" and was given military prizes. d so-27
In the judgment of many men he holds the first place B,a
among writers of elegy. His amatory letters, too,
though short are very useful/ He died in youth, as
is indicated by the epigram written above.

■ Written by Domitius Marsus. * Cf. Jul. ii.
. c Messala was sent to Aquitania soon after the battle of
Actium (App. B.C. 4. 38) ; he celebrated his triumph in
27 B.C.

d See Aug. xxv. 3.

• This is quite meaningless, so far as anything we know
of Tibullus is concerned.

493

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

VITA AULI PERSI FLACCI

Aulus Persius Flaccus natus est pridie Nonas
Decembris Fabio Persico L. Vitellio coss., decessit
VIII Kalendas Decembris P. 1 Mario Afinio 2 Gallo

coss.

Natus in Etruria Volaterris, eques Romanus,
sanguine et affinitate primi ordinis viris coniunctus.
Decessit ad octavum miliarium via Appia in praediis
suis.

Pater eum Flaccus pupillum reliquit moriens
annorum fere sex. Fulvia Sisennia mater eius 3
nupsit postea Fusio 4 equiti Romano et eum quoque
extulit intra paucos annos.

Studuit Flaccus usque ad annum XII aetatis suae
Volaterris, inde Romae apud grammaticum Remmium
Palaemonem et apud rhetorem Verginium Flavum.

Cum esset annorum XVI, amicitia coepit uti
Annaei Cornuti ita ut nusquam ab eo discederet ; a
quo inductus aliquatenus in philosophiam est.

Amicos habuit a prima adulescentia Caesium
Bassum poetam et Calpurnium Staturam, qui vivo eo
iuvenis decessit. Coluit ut 5 patrem Servilium
Nonianum. Cognovit per Cornutum etiam Annaeum

1 Publio, Lipsius ; rubio or rubrio, ms8.

2 Asinio, mss. ; cf. Tac. Ann. 14. 48.
8 mater eius, omitted by some mss.

4 Fuscio or Ruscio, ms«. 6 ut, omitted by the mas.

494;

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ON POETS— PERSIUS

THE LIFE OF AULUS PERSIUS
FLACCUS

Aulus Persius Flaccus was born the day before
the Nones of December in the consulship of Fabius Dec. 4,
Persicus and Lucius Vitellius, and died on the S4A,D -
eighth day before the Kalends of December, when
Publius Marius and Afinius Gallus were consuls. He Not. 24,
was born at Volaterrae in Etruria, was a Roman 62a - d *
knight, but was connected by blood and by marriage
with men of the senatorial order. He died on his
estate near the eighth milestone of the Appian Way.

His father Flaccus died when his son was about
six years old, leaving him to the care of a guardian.
His mother, Fulvia Sisennia, afterwards married a
Roman knight named Fusius, but buried him also
within a few years.

Flaccus studied until the twelfth year of his age
at Volaterrae, and then at Rome with the gram-
marian Remmius Palaemon* and the rhetorician
Verginius Flavus. When he was sixteen years old
he became so intimate a friend of Annaeus Cornutus
that he never left his side ; and from him he obtained
some knowledge of philosophy.

From early youth he enjoyed the friendship of
Caesius Bassus, the poet, and of Calpurnius Statura,
who died , in youth, while Persius still lived. Servi-
lius Nonianus he revered as a father. Through
Cornutus he came to know Annaeus Lucanus also, a

a See Or. xxiii.

495

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Lucanum aequaevum auditorem Cornuti. 1 Lucanus
mirabatur adeo scripta Flacci, ut vix se retineret
recitante eo de more quin ilia esse vera poemata,
sua ludos diceret. 2 Sero cognovit et Senecam, sed
non ut caperetur eius ingenio. Usus est apud
Cornutum duorum convictu doctissimorum et
sanctissimorum virorum acriter tunc philosophan-
tium, Claudi Agathurni medici Lacedaemonii et
Petroni Aristocratis Magnetis, quos unice miratus
est et aemulatus, cum aequales essent Cornuti, minor
esset ipse. 3

Idem decern fere annis summe dilectus a Paeto
Thrasea est ita ut peregrinaretur quoque cum eo
aliquando, cognatam eius Arriam uxorem habente.

Fuit morum lenissimorum, verecundiae virginalis,
formae pulchrae, pietatis erga matrem et sororem et
amitam exemplo sufficientis.

Fuit frugi, pudicus.

Reliquit circa HS viciens matri et sorori scriptis
tantum ad matrem codicillis. Cornuto rogavit ut
daret sestertia, ut quidam dicunt, C, ut alii, L et
argenti facti pondo viginti et libros circa septingentos
Chrysippi sive bibliothecam suam omnem. Verum
a Cornuto sublatis libris pecunia sororibus, quas
heredes frater fecerat, relicta est. 4

1 After Cornuti the mss. have Nam Cornutus illo tempore
tragicns (grammaticus, Afartinius) sectae poeticae (stoicae,
Pi&oetu), qui libros philosophiae reliquit. Sed . . •

2 sao ludo faceret, mss.

9 minores ipse, mss. ; minor esset ipse, Owen.
4 pecuniam . . . reliquit et, mas.

496

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ON POETS— PERSIUS

pupil of Cornutus and of the same age as himself.
Lucan so admired the writings of Flaccus, that when
the author read them in the usual way,° he could
hardly wait until he finished before saying that they
were true poems, and his own mere child's play.
Towards the end of his life he made the acquaintance
also of Seneca, but was not impressed by his talents.

At the house of Cornutus he enjoyed the society
of two learned and venerable men, who were then
eagerly pursuing philosophical studies : Claudius
Agathurnus, a physician of Lacedaemon, and Petro-
nius Aristocrates of Magnesia, whom he admired
exceedingly and emulated, although they were of
the same age as Cornutus, while he was a younger
man. He was also for nearly ten years so great a
favourite of Paetus Thrasea that he sometimes even
travelled abroad with him ; and Paetus's wife, Arria,
was a relative of his.

He was very gentle in manner, of virginal modesty
and very handsome ; and he showed an exemplary
devotion to his mother, sister, and aunt.

He was good and pure.

He left about two million sesterces to his mother
and sister, and a letter addressed only to his mother.
He requested her to give Cornutus a hundred
thousand, as some say, or according to others, fifty
thousand sesterces, and twenty pounds of silver plate,
besides about seven hundred volumes of Chrysippus,
or his entire library. But Cornutus, while accepting
the books, turned over the money to the sisters 6
whom their brother had made his heirs.

a That is, gave a public reading.

* There is clearly something wrong here; elsewhere but
one sister is mentioned.

497

VOL. II. K K

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

Scriptitavit et raro et tarde. Hunc ipsum librum
imperfectum reliquit. Versus aliqui dempti 1 sunt
ultimo libro, ut quasi finitus esset. Leviter correxit 2
Cornutus et Caesio Basso petenti, ut ipse ederet,
tradidit edendum.

Scrip6erat in pueritia Flaccus etiam praetextam et
hodoeporicon librum unum et paucos in socrum 3
Thraseae 4 versus, quae se ante virum occiderat.
Omnia ea auctor fuit Cornutus matri eius ut
aboleret.

Editum librum continuo mirari homines et diripere
coeperunt.

Decessit autem vitio stomachi anno aetatis XXX. 5
Sed mox ut a schola magistrisque devertit, lecto
Lucili libro decimo vehementer saturas componere
studuit. Cuius libri principium imitatus est sibi
primo, mox omnibus detrectaturus cum tanta recen-
tium poetarum et oratorum insectatione, ut etiam
Neronem principem illius temporis inculpaverit.
Cuius versus in Neronem cum ita se haberet "auri-
culas asini Mida rex habet/' in eum modum a
Cornuto ipso tantum nomine mutato est emendatus
" auriculas asini quis non habet ? " ne hoc in se Nero
dictum arbitraretur.

1 Owen suggests additi.

2 correxit, Laurentianus ; contraxit or recitavit, msa.
8 in socrum, Gasaubon ; sororum, mss.
4 After Thraseae Hit mss, ham in Arriam matrem.

5 XXnX, lUiaius.

498

ON POETS— PERSIUS

He wrote rarely and slowly. This very volume a
he left unfinished, and some verses were taken from
the last book, that it might have the appearance of
completion. Cornutus made some slight corrections,
and on the request of Caesius Bassus that he might
publish it, turned it over to him for that purpose.

In his boyhood Flaccus had written a praetexta, b
one book describing his travels, and a few verses on
the mother-in-law of Thrasea, c who had killed herself
before her husband. All these Cornutus advised the
poet's mother to destroy.

As soon as his book appeared, men began to
admire it and to buy it up rapidly.

He died of a stomach trouble in the thirtieth year
of his age. As soon as he left school and his
teachers, he conceived a strong desire to write
satires from reading the tenth book of Lucilius.
The beginning of this he imitated with the intention
at first of criticizing himself ; but presently turning
to general criticism/ he so assailed the poets and
orators of his day, that he even attacked Nero, who
was at that time emperor. His verse on Nero read
as follows : " King Midas has ass's ears," but
Cornutus by merely changing the name, and writing
" Who has not an ass's ears ? " so altered it that Nero
might not think that it was said of him.

• The collection of six satires, for which this Life was used
as an introduction. * A Roman tragedy.

« The elder Arria.

4 Text and meaning are uncertain ; see Marx, LucUius,
2, p. 145.

499

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

VITA LUCANI

M. Annaeus Lucanus Cordubensis 1 prima ingenii
experimenta in " Neronis laudibus " dedit quinquen-
nali certamine, dein 2 "Civile Bellum," quod a 3
Pompeio et Caesare gestum est, recitavit, 4 ut praefa-
tione quadam aetatem et initia sua cum Vergilio
comparans ausus sit dicere :

" et quantum mihi restat

Ad Culicem?"

Hie initio adolescentiae, cum ob infestum matrimo-
nium patrem suum ruri agere longissime cognovisset
* » ♦ Revocatus Athenis a Nerone cohortique ami-
corum additus atque etiam quaestura honoratus, non
tamen permansit in gratia. Siquidem aegre ferens,
recitante 5 se subito ac nulla nisi refrigerandi sui
causa indicto senatu recessisse, 6 neque verbis adver-
sus principem neque factis exstantibus 7 post haec
temperavit, adeo ut quondam in latrinis publicis

1 M. . . . Cordubensis, MB ; omitted by P.

2 Hosiu8 indicates a lacuna after dein.

3 a, Baumgarten-Crus\u8 ; cum, mss.

4 Hosing indicates a lacuna after recitavit ; the codex
Berolinen8i8 t 35 has aub tantae levitatis et immoderatae
linguae fuit.

* Reiff. and Hosius insert quod Nero se before recitante.

8 recessisset, MP (Reiff., Hosius).

7 exstantibus, M ; ezcitantibus, John, Hosius,

SOO

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ON POETS— LUCAN

THE LIFE OF LUCAN

Marcus Annaeus Lucanus of Corduba made his
first appearance as a poet with a "Eulogy of Nero "
at the emperor's Quinquennial Contests," and then
gave a public reading of his poem on the "Civil
War" waged between Pompey and Caesar. In a
kind of introduction to the latter, comparing his
time of life and his first essays with those of Vergil,
he had the audacity to ask :

" How far, pray, do I fall short of the Culex 6 " ?

In his early youth, learning that his father was
living in the remote country districts because of an
unhappy marriage. . . . He was recalled from
Athens by Nero and made one of his intimate
friends, besides being honoured with the quaestor-
ship ; but he could not keep the emperor's favour.
For piqued because Nero had suddenly called a
meeting of the senate and gone out when he was
giving a reading, with no other motive than to throw
cold water on the performance, 6 he afterwards did
not refrain from words and acts of hostility to the
prince, which are still notorious. Once for example
in a public privy, when he relieved his bowels with

a See Nero, xii. 3.

* Or perhaps, "How much younger am I than the author
of the Culex ? " Lucan compares his great epic, written at
an earlier age, with Vergirs early work. Cf. Stat. SUv.
2. 7. 73, haec ( = Pharsaliam) primo invents canes sub aevo,
Ante anno* culicis Maroniani. e Cf. Claud, xli. 1.

S 01

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THE LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN

clariore cum strepitu 1 ventris emissi 2 hemistichium
Neronis magna consessorum fuga pronuntiarit :

Sed et famoso carmine cum ipsum turn potentissimos
amicorum gravissime proscidit. Ad extremum paene
signifer Pisonianae coniurationis exstitit, multus 3 in
gloria tyrannicidarum palam praedicanda 4 ac plenus
minarum, usque eo intemperans ut Caesaris caput 5
proximo cuique iactaret. Verum detecta coniura-
tione nequaquam parem animi constantiam praestitit;
facile enim confessus et 6 ad humillimas devolutus
preces matrem quoque innoxiam inter socios nomina-
vit, sperans impietatem sibi apud parricidam princi-
pem profuturam. Impetrato autem mortis arbitrio
libero codicillos ad patrem corrigendis quibusdam
versibus suis exaravit, epulatusque largiter brachia ad
secandas venas praebuit medico. Poemata eius
etiam praelegi memini, confici vero ac proponi
venalia non tantum operose et diligenter sed inepte
quoque.

1 strepitu, B ; crepitu, P ; trepitu, M.

2 Regarded by Reiff. as due to dittogrwphy.
8 multus, Omnibonm ; niultis, mss.

4 praedicanda, some late mss, ; praedicenda, MBP,

5 Genthe marks a lacuna ; so Francken.
• ut, MP ; omitted by B,

" Sub terris tonuisse putes. 5

502

ON POETS— LUCAN

an uncommonly loud noise, he shouted out this half
line of the emperor s, while those who were there
for the same purpose took to their heels :

" You might suppose it thundered 'neath the earth."

He also tongue-lashed not only the emperor but
also his most powerful friends in a scurrilous poem.
Finally he came out almost as the ringleader B in the
conspiracy of Piso, publicly making great talk about
the glory of tyrannicides, and full of threats, even
going to the length of offering Caesar's head to all
his friends. But when the conspiracy was detected,
he showed by no means equal firmness of purpose ;
for he was easily forced to a confession, descended to
the most abject entreaties, and even named his own
mother among the guilty parties, although she was
innocent, in hopes that this lack of filial devotion
would win him favour with a parricidal prince. But
when he was allowed free choice of the manner of
his death, he wrote a letter to his father, containing
corrections for some of his verses, and after eating
heartily, offered his arms to a physician, to cut his
veins. I recall that his poems were even read in
public, 6 while they were published and offered for
sale by editors lacking in taste, as well as by some
who were painstaking and careful.

• Literally, standard-bearer.

6 That is, lectured on by grammarians ; see Or. i.

5°3

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VITA PLINII SECUNDP

Plinius Secundus Novocomensis equestribus
militiis industrie functus procurationes quoque
splendidissimas et continuas summa integritate
administravit, et tamen liberalibus studiis tantam
operam dedit, ut non temere quis plura in otio
scripserit. Itaque bella omnia, quae unquam 2 cum
Germanis gesta sunt, XX 3 voluminibus compre-
hend^ itemque "Naturalis Historiae " XXXVII
libros absolvit. Periit clade * Campaniae ; cum enim
Misenensi classi praeesset et flagrante Vesubio ad
explorandas propius causas liburnica 5 pertendisset,*
nec adversantibus ventis remeare posset, vi pulveris
ac favillae oppressus est, vel ut quidam existimant
a servo suo occisus, quem aestu deficiens ut necem
sibi maturaret oraverat. 7

1 Mas. : various manuscripts of Pliny, dating from the
eleventh to the fifteenth century. V = cod. Vaticanus, 1951,
fifteenth century ; T = cod. Toletanus, thirteenth century.

a umquam] undique, V. 8 XX], the mas. have XXXVII.

4 clade, Hermolaus Barbaras ; gades (gadis, V) or grades,

77186.

S°4

THE LIFE OF PLINY THE
ELDER

Plinius Secundus of Novum Comum, after per-
forming with energy the military service required of
members of the equestrian order, administered
several important stewardships in succession with
the utmost justice. Yet he gave so much attention
to liberal studies, that hardly anyone who had com-
plete leisure wrote more than he. For instance, he
gave an account in twenty volumes of all the wars
which were ever carried on with Germany, besides
completing the thirty-seven books of his "Natural
History." He lost his life in the disaster in Cam- 79a.d.
pania. He was commanding the fleet at Misenum,
and setting out in a Liburnian galley* during the
eruption of Vesuvius to investigate the causes of the
phenomenon from nearer at hand, he was unable to
return because of head winds. He was suffocated
by the shower of dust and ashes, although some think
that he was killed by a slave, whom he begged to
hasten his end when he was overcome by the intense
heat.

* laburnica, T; the other mas. have liburnicas (V) or
liburnicam. e pertendisset, Burmann ; praetendisset, him.
7 oraverat, nua. ; orarerit, Vinettu.

• See Ccdig. xxxvii. 2.

s°s

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VITA PASSIENI CRISPP

Passienus 2 Crispus, municeps Viselliensis, 3 tiro-
cinio suo in senatu ita coepit : " Patres conscripti et
tu Caesar ! " propter quod simulata oratione 4
plenissime a Tiberio conlaudatus est. 5 Plurimas
sponte causas apud centumviros egit, pro qua re in
basilica Iulia eius statua posita est. Consulatus duos
gessit. Uxores habuit duas, primam Domitiam,
deinde Agrippinam, illam amitam, hanc matrem
Neronis Caesaris. Possedit bis milies sestertium.
Omnium principum gratiam adpetivit, sed praecipue
C. 6 Caesaris, quem iter facientem secutus est pedibus.
Hie nullo audiente ab Nerone 7 interrogatus,haberetne
sicut ipse cum sorore germana consuetudinem,
" Nondum " inquit, quantumvis decenter et caute,
ne aut negando 8 eum argueret aut adsentiendo 9
semet mendacio dehonestaret. Periit per fraudem
Agrippinae, quam heredem reliquerat, et funere
publico elatus est.

1 Sigla : P = cod. Montepessulanus, 125, formerly Pith-
oeanus, ninth century ; S = cod. Sangallensis, 870, ninth
century.

2 Passienus, added by Reiff

s municeps Viselliensis, omitted by Reiff.
4 simulata oratione, John; simuloratione, PS; simulatione,
Pithoeu8. 6 est, added by John. 8 C, added by Lipsius.

7 Caesare, Reiff. ; the reference is to Gaius Caligula.

8 negando, Lipsms ; negantem, PS : negans, Pilhoew.

506

THE LIFE OF PASSIENUS
CRISPUS

Passienus Crispus, a native of Visellium, began his
first speech in the senate with these words : " Con-
script fathers and you, Caesar/' and was in con-
sequence highly commended by Tiberius, though not
sincerely. He voluntarily pleaded a number of cases
in the court of the Hundred/ 1 and therefore his
statue was set up in the Basilica Julia. 6 He was
twice consul. He married twice : first Domitia and
then Agrippina, respectively the aunt and the mother
of the emperor Nero. He possessed an estate of two
hundred million sesterces. He tried to gain favour
with all the emperors, but especially with Gaius
Caesar, whom he attended on foot when the emperor
made a journey. When he was asked by Nero c in a
private conversation whether he had commerce with
his own sister, as the emperor had with his, he replied
" Not yet " ; a very fitting and cautious answer,
neither accusing the emperor by denying the
allegation, nor dishonouring himself with a lie by
admitting it. He was slain by the treachery of
Agrippina, whom he had made his heir, and was
honoured with a public funeral.

• adsentiendo, Lipaius ; adsentientem, PS ; adsentiens,
Pithotu*.

• See note on Aug. xxxvi. * In the Roman Forum.
c Gaius is obviously intended, instead of Nero.

5°7

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INDEX

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INDEX

Besides proper names, the Index includes the Latin words which are
taken over into the translation, and a few others which seem to require
explanation. The references are to chapter and section. The following
abbreviations are used: A., Augustus: Cal., Caligula; CI., Claudius;
D., DomiHan; G., GaJba; J., Julius (Caesar) ; N., Nero; O., Otho; T.,
Tiberius ; Tit., Titus ; V., Vespasian ; Vit., Vitellius ; Gr., De Qrammaticis ;
Rh., De Rhetoribus; Ter.. Life of Terence; Verg., Life of Vergil; Hor.,
Life of Horace : Tibull., Life of Tibullus; Luc, Life of Lucan ; Pers., Life
of Persius; Plin., Life of Pliny; Pass., Life of Passienus Crispus,

Aborigines, Vit. I. 2. A name
applied to the primitive inhabi-
tants of Latium.

Accius, Cal. xxx. 1 (quoted); cf.
T. LIX. 2. An early Roman poet
(170-86 B.C.), especially famous
for his tragedies.

Acerronius Proculus, Cn., Tib.
ixxin. 1. Consul in 37 a.d.

Achaia, Tib. nr. 3, vi. 2 ; Cal. xxi.;
CI. xxv. 3, xin. l; N. xix. 2,
xxh. 3; V. v. 5, vm. 4. The
Roman province, comprising all
of Greece south of Macedonia.

Achaica, see Mummia.

Achaicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Achaia : peregrinatio, N. xix. 1,
Ll.rV.lV. 4.

Achilles, T. LXX. 3.

Acilius, see Atilius.

Acilius (C), J. Lxvm. 4 (bis).

Acilius Aviola (M*.), CI. XLV.
Consul in 54 A.D.

Acilius Glabrio, D. x. 2. Consul
in 01 a.d.

Acte, N. XX vm. 1, l. A f reed-
woman beloved by Nero.

Actiacus, -a, -um, adj. from
Actium : helium, A. ix. ; tri-
umphus, A. xxn.; T. vi. 4;
victoria, A. xvm. 2; Cal. xxni.
1 (plural); Verg. 27.

Actium, A. xvn. 2, 3, xvm. 2,

xcvi. 2. A promontory in
north-western Acarnania at the
entrance to the Ambracian Gulf,
off which Augustus defeated
Antony, Sept. 2, 31 B.C.
Actius, T. XLVH.

Actorius Naso, M., J. rx. 3, LTJ. 1
(Naso). A writer of a '* Life of
Julius Caesar," or a " History
of the Civil War," not elsewhere
cited. Probably a contemporary
of Julius Caesar.

Adelphi (Adelphoe), Ter. n., m.
"The Brothers," a comedy of
Terence.

Adminius, Cal. XLIV. 2.

Aejristhus, J.L.I. Son of Thyestes.
He seduced Clytemnestra during
Agamemnon's absence at Troy.
Cited as a typical adulterer.

Aegon, Verg. 43. A sheep-owner
mentioned in the Bucolics ; applied
in a parody to Vergil himself.

Aegyptii, Cal. ivn. 4. Egyptians.

Aegyptius, -a, -um, adj. from
Aegyptus: classis, J. xxxix. 4;
ritus, T. xxxvi.; generis, N.
xxxvn. 2.

Aegyptus, J. xi., xxxv. 1, ui. 1 ;
A. xvn. 3, xvm. 2, ixvi. l,
xcrrj. ; CI. XX. 3 ; N. XXXV. 5,
xlvh. 2; V. vi. 3, vn. 1 ; D. rv. 2.
Egypt.

Digitized by Google

INDEX

Aella Paetina, CI. xxvi. 2 (bis) 3,

xxvn. 1. Wife of Claudius.
Aelianus, see Aemilius.
Aelius Lamia, D. I. 3, x. 2.
Aelius Praeconinus Stilo, L., Gr.

n. (ter), in.
Aelius Seianus (L.), T. XLvm. 2

(bit), IV., IXI. 1 (quinquies), LXn.

1, lxv. 1, 2; Cal. xii. 1, xxx. 2;

CI. vi. 1, xxvn. 1 (bis) ; Vit. n. 3.
Aemilia Lepida, CI. xxvi. 1. Great

granddaughter of Augustus.
Aemiliana. CI. xviu. 1 (tee note).
Aemilius Aelianus, A. Li. 2 (bis).
(Aemilius) Lepidus, M., J. in.

(few), v. Father of the triumvir

Lepidus.

Aemilius Lepidus, M., J. Lxxxn.

4, lxxxvu. ; A. vm. 3, xn.,

xm. l, xvi. 4, xxvn. 2, xxxi. l,

uv.; T. v. Triumvir with

Augustus and Antony.
(Aemilius) Lepidus, A. XIX. 1.

Son of the triumvir Lepidus.
Aemilius Lepidus, M., Cal. xxrv. 3,

xxxvi. 1; CI. ix. 1. Husband

of Drusilla, the sister of Caligula.
Aemilius Mamercus, J. I. 2.
Aemilius Papus (L.), A. n. 2.

Praetor in Sicily in 205 B.C.;

see Livy, 28. 38.
Aemilius Paulus (L.), J. xxix. 1.

Cons, in 50 B.C.
Aemilius Paulus, L., A. XVI. 3;

CI. xvi. 1. Brother of the

triumvir Lepidus.
Aemilius Paulus, L., A. xvi. 3,

xix. 1, lxiv. 1. Son of the

preceding.
Aenaria, A. xcn. 2. An island off

the coast of Campania, modern

Ischia.
Aeneas, N. xxxix. 2.
Aeneis, Verg. 21, 23. 25, 30, 31, 35,

37, 30, 43, 44. The Aeneid.
Aeneomastix, Verg. 44 (tee note).
Aeolides. Verg. 34.
Aequiculi, Vit. I. 3. A warlike

people of ancient Latium, dwell-
ing east of Borne on both banks

of the Anio.
Aesculapius. A. lix. (tignum); CI.

xxv. 2 (insula). Latin form of

Asclepios, the Greek god of

512

healing and medicine,
temple was on the Island in
Tiber, which was therefore sen
times called the Island of Aei
lapius. i

Aeserninus, A. XLHl. 2. Grand*
of Asinius Pollio. ~

Aesius Proculus, Cal. XXXV. 2.

Aethiopes, Cal. Lvn. 4. The peoj
of Aethiopia.

Aethiopia, J. in. 1. A country
the interior of Africa.

Aetna, Verg. 10. The name of
poem.

Aetnaeus, -a, -urn, adj. froi
Aetna, the volcano in wester
Sicily : vertex, Cal. Ll. 1.

Aetolia, A. xvn. 3. A district i
the western part of central Greece

Afer, see Tedius and Terentius.

Afer, -ra, -rum, adj. meaninj
African : generis, A. iv. 2
vugiies, Cal. xvm. 1. See Afri.

Aflnius Gallus, Pers.

Afranius (L.), N. XI. 2; Ter. v. A
Roman writer of fabulae togatae,
or plays based upon Italic life.
He lived in the latter part of
the second century B.C.

Afranius, L., J. xxxrv. 2, lxxv.
2. 3. One of Pompey's generals.

Afri. Ter. I.

Africa, J. xxxv. 2, xxxvi., lix.,
lxx. (bis); A xvi. 4, xivn.;
T. xxxi. 2; N. xxxi. 4; G. vn. 1,
vm. 1, XI.; O. I. 2: Vit. v.:
V. in., TV. 3. Usually applied
to the Roman province.

Africanus, -a, -um, adj. from
Africa : triumphus, J. xxxvn. 1,
A. vm. 1; as subst., Africanae
(sc. bestiae), Cal. xvm. 3: CI.
xxi. 3. Panthers or leopards.

Africanus, see Fabius and Scipio.

Afrieus, -a, -um, adj. to Africa:
bellum, J. lvi. 1.

Agamemnon, T. lxi. 3.

Agathurnus, see Claudius.

Agermus, L., N. xxxrv. 3.

Agrippa, M., A. XVI. 2, XXV. 3,
xxrx. 5, xxxv. 1, xm. 1, Lxin. l
(bis) t lxiv. 1 (bis), lxvi. 3,
xcrv. 12, xcvn. 1 ; T. vn. 2, x. l ;
Cal. vn., xxni. 1 ; Gr. xvi.

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INDEX

Agrippa Postumus, M., A. xix. 2,
M. 1, lxiv. 1, lxv. 1, 4; T. xv. 2
(bis}, xxii., xxv. 1. Son of
the preceding and grandson of
Augustus.
Agrippina, T. VII. 2, 3 (bis).

Granddaughter of Atticus.
Agrippina, A. lxiv. 1 (bis), lxxxvi.
3; T. LIU. 1; Cal. VII., vin. 1,
3, 4 (bis). Granddaughter of
Augustus and wife of German i-
cus, known as " the elder
Agrippina."
Agrippina, Cal. vn.; CI. xxvi. 3
(bis), xxix. 2, xxxix. 2, XLIII.,
xliv. 1, 2; N. v. 2, vi. 1, 2,
XXVIII. 2, XXXIX. 3; G., V. 1;
V., IV. 2, ix. 1; Pass. (bis).
Mother of Nero, known as '* the
younger Agrippina."
Agrippinensis, -e, adj. from Agrip-
pina : Colonia, Vit. X. 3. Modern
Cologne.
Ahenobarbi, N., I. 1, 2.
Ahenobarbus, see Domitius and

Nero (the emperor).
Aiax, A. lxxxv. 2. The name of

a tragedy begun by Augustus.
Alani, D. II. 2. A warlike people

of Scythia.
Alauda, J. xxrv. 2. The name of

a legion ; see note.
Albanum, N. xxv. 1; D. IV. 4;
Ter. I., v. A name applied to
various villas in the Alban region ;
later a town, modern Albano.
Albauus, -a, -um, adj. from Alba:
columnae, A. lxxii. 1 (see note);
mons, C). IV. 3 (modern Monte
Cavo); secessus, 1). xix., the
villa of Domitian at Albanum.
Albia Terentia, O. I. 3. Mother

of the emperor Otho.
Albia, A. xxi. 1. A river of Ger-
many, the modem Elbe.
Albuciua Silus, C, Rh. vi.
Albudignus, CI. XX. 1 ; see note on
text. A spring in the Sabine
country, one of the sources of
the Aqua Claudia and Aqua
Marcia.

Albulae (aquae), A. ixxxn. 2 (see

note); N. xxxi. 2.
Alcmaeon; N. xxxix. 2. Son of

Amphiaraus. He slew his mother

and was pursued by the Furies.
Alexander, Verg. 9. See also

Cornelius and Tiberius.
Alexander, Magnus, J. vn. 1 (bis);

A. xviii. 1, L., xoiv. 5; Cal.

in. ; N. xix. 2.
Alexandria (also -ea), J. xxxv. 1, 2,

lxiv., lxxvi. 3, lxxix. 3; A.

xvn. 3, lxxi. 1 ; T.lii. 2; Cal.

xlix. 2; CI. XVI. 2, XLH. 2; N.

xx. 3; V. vn. 1; Tit. v. 3; D.

xx.; Gr. vn., xx. The city in

Egypt, at the mouth of the

Nile.

Alexandria, N. L. Nurse of Nero.
Alexandrini, J. XI.; N. xx. 3; V.
xix. 2.

Alexandrinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Alexandria : Gr. xx. ; bellum, J.
lvi. 1 ; T. IV. 1 ; merces, A. xcvm.
2 ; navis, A. xcvm. 2 ; N. XLV. 1 ;
G. x. 4; peregrinatio, N. xix. 1
bis); pharus, CI. XX. 3. The
ighthouse ; triumphus, J. xxxvn.
1 ; A. xxii., xli. 1.
Alexis, Verg. 9.
Alfenus Varus, Verg. 19.
Alliensis, -e, adj. from Allia, a
small river eleven miles north
of Rome, the scene of the defeat
by the Gauls in 390 B.C. : dies,
Vit. xi. 2; the anniversary of
the defeat, regarded as a day of
ill-omen.

Allobroges, N. n. 1. A people of
Gallia Narbonensis. whose terri-
tories extendTHl from Lake Geneva
southwest to the Rhone.

Alpes, J. xxv. 1, lvi. 5; A. lxxix.
1; Cal. XXI., LI. 3; N. xvin.;
O. IX. 2.

Alpinns, -a, -um, adj. from Alpes :
gentes, T. ix. 2.

Amazones, J. xxii. 3. A mythical
race of female warriors, whose
home was near the river Ther-
modon in Pontus.

Amazonicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Amazones : secures peltaeque,
N. xliv. 1.

Ambitarvius, Cal. Vlll. 1. A vil-
lage near Coniluentes (modern
Coblenz).

513

Digitized by

Ambrani (?), J. IX. 3. See note

on text.
Ampius, T., J. LXXVII.
Ancharia, A. IV. 1. First wife of

C. Octavius, father of Augustus.
Ancus Marcius, J. VI. 1. Fourth

king of Rome.
Andes, Verg. 2. A small place near

Mantua.

Andria, Ter. n. The "Maid of
Andros " ; the name of Terence's
first comedy.

Andronicus, see Pompilius.

Anicetus, N. xxxv. 2 (see note).

Anio (gon. Anienis), T. I. 1. A
river flowing into the Tiber just
north of Home.

Anio novus, CI. XX. 1. An aque-
duct built by Claudius, which
brought water from the upper
course of the Anio to Rome.

Annaeus, see Cornutus, Lucanus
and Seneca.

Annates, (Jr. II., VIII. The epic of
Ennius.

Annins Cimber, A. lxxxvi. 3.

Antiatinus, -a, -urn, adj. from
Antium : fortunae, Cal. lvii. 3 ;
see Antium.

Antibucolica, Verg. 43. A parody
on Vergil's Bucolics.

Anticatones, J. LVl. 5. Speeches
of Julius Caesar against Cato
Uticensis.

Anticyra, Cal. XXIX. 2. A town
of Phoeis on the Corinthian Gulf,
or an island in the Aegean Sea,
both celebrated for their helle-
bore, which was regarded as a
specific for madness.

Antiochia, T. XLIX. 2; Cal. I. 2.
The chief city of Syria, on the
Orontes.

Antiocbus, Cal. XVI. 3. King of
Commagene in northern Syria.

Antiocbus, Vit. II. 1. A baker.

Antistius, L., J. XXIII. 1. A
tribune of the commons.

Antistius, J. LXXXII. 3. A physi-
cian.

Antistius Labeo, A. liv.

Antium, A. LVIH. 1; T. xxxvm;
Cal. VIII. 2, 5, XLIX. 2; N. VI. 1,
ix., xxv. 1. A town on the

514

coast of Latium, the modern
Porto d'Anzio, celebrated for it3
temple of Fortune and its
oracles, the Fortunae Antiatinae.

Antonia (raaior), N. V. 1. Elder
daughter of Mark Antony and
grandmother of Nero.

Antonia (minor), Cal. 1. 1, x. 1,
xv. 2, xxiii. 2, xxrv. 1, xxix. 1 ;
CI. 1. 6, III. 2, IV. 4, XI. 2
(Augusta); V. in. Younger
daughter of Mark Antouy,
mother of Germanicus and
Claudius.

Antonia, CI. xxvn. 1, 2; N,
xxxv. 4. Daughter of the
emperor Claudius.

Antonii, A. xvn. 2.

Antonius, C, A. v. Consul with
Cicero in 63 B.C.

Antonius, C, J. xxxvi. Brother
of Mark Antony and one of
Caesar's^ officers.

Antonius, L., A. IX., xtv., xv.,
lxviii. ; T. iv. 2, v. Brother of
Mark Antony.

Antonius, M., J. LII. 2, IXXIX. 2,
LXXXII. 4, LXXXIH. 1, LXXXIV. 2;
A. II. 3, IV. 2, VII. 1, VIII. 3 (bis),
IX., X. 2, 4, XI., XII., XIII. 1, 2, 3,
XVI. 2, XVII. 1, 3, 4, 5, XX.,
XXI. 3, XXVIII. 1, XLIX. 1, LXII. 1,
LXIII. 2, LXVIII., LXIX. 1, LXX. 1,

lxxxvi. 2; T. iv. 3, LIX. 2;

Cal. xxvi. 1; CI. XI. 3; N. III. 1,

2(bis); Rh.l.,lv.,v.(6/#). Mark

Antony, triumvir with Augustus

( Octavian) and Lepidus.
Antonius, A. XVII. 5, LXin. 2.

Elder son of Mai k Antony.
Antonius, Iullus, CI. H. 1 ; Gr. xvra.

Son of Mark Antony and Fulvia ;

cons, in 10 B.C.
Antonius Gnipho, M., Gr. vn.,

vm., x.

Antonius Musa, A. LIX., LXXXI. 1.

A physician of the time of

Augustus.
Antonius Primus (Becco), Vit.

XVIII.

Antonius (Saturninus), L., D. VI.

2 (ter), vn. 3.
Apellaris ( ?), V. xix. 1 ; see note

on text.

Digitized by

INDEX

pelles, Cal. xxxin.; V. xrx. 1;
see note on text,
phrodisius, see Scribonius.
pis, A. xcni.; Tit. v. 3. An
Egyptian god, worshipped in the
form of a sacred bull,
polio, A. lxx. l ; xcrv. 4 (bis) ; N.
XXV. 2, LUI. ; Ddphis, N. XL. 3 ;
PcUatinus, A. XXXI. 1, LII. ; ff. N.
XXV. 2 ; SandcUariu*, A. LVII. 1 ;
Temenites, T. LXXIV. ; Tvrtor, A.
LXX. 2 ; templum Actii., A. XVIII.
2 ; templum in Palatio, A XXIX.
1, 8 ; cr. N. XXV. 2.
\pollodorus, A. lxx xix. 1. An
orator of Pergamum, teacher of
Augustus.
Apollonia, A. vm. 2, x. 1, lxxxix.
1, xcrv. 12, xov. A city of
Illyricum opposite Brundisium.
Apollonius Molo, J. IV. 1. An
orator of Rhodes, with whom
Julius Caesar studied.
Apollophanes, A. xvi. 3.
Aponi fons, T. xiv. 3. A warm
medicinal spring near Patavium,
modern Bagno d'Albano.
Aponius Saturninus, Cal. xxxvill. 4.
Appenninus, -a, -um, J. xliv. 3

(dorsum) ; Vit. X. 3 (iugis).
Appi Forum, T. II. 2. A small
town of Latium on the Appian
Way, at the beginning of the
Pomptine Marshes.
Appia via, T. lxxii. 1 ; Cal. xix. 1 ;
CI. i. 3 ; N. v. 1 ; Ter. v ; Pers. The
most famous of Roman roads,
leading south-east to Capua, and
later to Beneveutum and Brund-
isium.

Appius, see Claudius and Iunius.

Appuleius, L., Gr. in.

Appuleius, Sex., A. o. 1. Consul

in 14 a.d.
Apragopolis, A. xovra. 4; see note.
Aprilis, N. lv.

Apulia, Vit. I. 3. A district in the
south-eastern part of Italy.

Aquila, see Pontius.

Aquileia, A. xx. ; T. vn. 3 : V. vi.
2. A town of northern Italy at
the head of the Adriatic.

Aquilius Niger, A. XI.

Aquitania, A. xxi. 1 ; G. VI. 1, IX. 2.

A district and province of south-
eastern Gaul.

Aquitanicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Aquitania ; beUo, Tibull.

Arcadia, V. vn. 3; Ter. I., v. A
district in the central part of
the Peloponnesus.

Archelaus, T. vm., xxxvn. 4. A
king of Cappadocia.

Archelaus, see Laelius.

Arelate, T. rv. 1. A town of
southern Gaul on the Rhone,
modern Aries.

Areus, A. lxxxix. 1. A philo-
sopher.

Argivus, G. xx. 2.

Alicia, A. IV. 2 (bis). An ancient
town of Latium on the Appian
Way, sixteen miles south-east of
Rome.

Aricinus, -a, -um, adj. from Aricia :
A. iv. 1.

Ariminum, A. xxx. 1. A town of
Umbria on the Adriatic, modern
Rimini.

Aristarchus, Gr. n., xiv. The
famous Alexandrian grammarian
and critic (c. 217-c. 145 B.C.).

Aristocrates, Petronius, Pers. A
philosopher of Magnesia.

Armenia, J. XLIV. 3 (minor); A.
xxi. 3; T. rx. 1, xi. 1, xli.;
Cal. I. 2; N. xm. 1, xxxix. 1,
XL. 2. A large country east of
As- la Minor and Cappadocia,
divided into Armenia Major and
Armenia Minor.

Armenii, CI. xxv. 4. The people
of Armenia.

Arrecina Tertulla, Tit. rv. 2. Wife,
of Titus.

Arrecinus Clemens, M., D. XI. 1.

Arria, Pers. Wife of Caecina
Paetus. When her husband was
ordered by Claudius to take his
own life in 42 a.d. and hesitated
to do so, she stabbed herself and
handed the dagger to her hus-
band, saying : " Paetus, it does
not pain me."

Arria, Pers. Daughter of the pre-
ceding and wife of Thrasea.

Arruntius, see Furius.

Artabanus, T. lxvi.; Cal. xrv. 3;

515

Digitized by

INDEX

Vit. n. 4. A king of the Par-
thians.

Arvenii, N. II. 1. A tribe of south-
eastern Gaul.

Asclepiades, A. XCIV. 4. A philo-
sopher of Mendes, a town of Egypt.

Ascletario, D. XV. 3. An astrologer.

Asconius Pedianus, Verg. 10, 4G.

Asellius Sabinus, T. XLII. 2.

Asia, J. ii., iv. 2, xxii. 2, xxvin. 1,
xxxix. 1, lxiii. ; A. m. 2, xvn. 8,
XXVI. 3 ; T. XL VIII. 2 ; Cal. lvii. 3,
lviii. 1 ; V. I. 2; D. X. 2; Gr. VI.;
Ter. iv. ; Verg. 35.

Asiaticus t -a, -um, adj. from Asia :
oratores, A. lxxxvi. 3.

Asiaticus, Vit. xn.

Asillius, Cal. VIII. 4.

Asinins Epicadus, C). XIX. 1, 2.

Asinius Gallus, C, CI. xli. 3; Gr.
xxii., Hor. Son of Asinius Pollio
and consul in 9 B.C.

Asinius Gallus, C, CI. xm. 2.
Grandson of Asinius Pollio.

Asinius Marcellus, CI. xlv. Consul
in 54 a.d.

Asinius Pollio, J. XXX. 4, LV. 4,
LVI. 4; A. XXIX. 5, xlhi. 2; CI.
xm.2;Gr.x.(ter);Verg.9,19. A
celebrated orator, soldier, states-
man and patron of literature.
Author of a history of the war
between Pompey and Caesar,
and of tragedies mentioned by
Hor. Odes, 2, 1.

Asprenas, see Nonius.

Astici ludi, T. vi. 4 {see note);
Cal. xx.

Astura, A. xcvu. 3; T. lxxii. 2:
A small island off the coast of
Latium near Antium, where
many distinguished Romans had
villas; later joined to the main-
land by a causeway; modern
Astura (Torre d'Astura).

asturco, N. xlvi. 1. A horse from
Asturia in Hispania Tarra-
conensis.

Atalanta, T. XLIV. 2. Daughter of
Iasius of Arcadia, beloved by
Melcager.

Ateius Capito, Gr. x., xxn. (bit).

Ateius Praetextatus Philologus, L.,
Gr. vii., X. (bis).

516

Atella, T. lxxv. 3; Verg. 27. An
Oscan town in Campania, north
of Naples ; see Atellana.

Atellana (fabula), CI., xxvn. 4;
N. xxxix. 3. A farce of Oscan
origin named from Atella, and
representing scenes from every-
day life by stock characters.
In later times such farces were
sometimes given after a tragedy
and called Atellamica exodia.

Atellanicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Atella : exhcdio, T. xlv.

Atellanus, -a, -um, adj. from
Atella : actor, G. xm.

Athenae, A. lx., xciu.; Gr. x.,
xv.; Verg. 35; Luc.

Athenodorus, CI. iv. 5.

Atilius (C), J. lxxxiv. 2 (see note
on text) : Ter. v. AnearlyRoman
writer 01 comedies and tragedies.

Atia, A. IV. 1 (bis), xciv. 4 (ter).
Mother of Augustus.

Atius Balbus, M., A. IV. 1 (bis).
Husband of Julia, sister of
Julius Caesar.

Atratinus (Sempronius), Rh. n.

Atta, see Claudius.

Attalus, Gr. 11. Attalus II, king of
Pergamum from 159-138 B.C.

Attica, CI. xxv. 5.

Atticus, -a, -um, adj. to Attica;
Ceres, A. xcm.

Atticus, see Caecilius.

Atticus Vestinus (M.), N. XXXV. 1.
Consul in 65 A.D.

Attius, another form of Accius.

Audasius, L., Aug. XIX. 1, 2.

Aufldius Lurco, Cal. XXIII. 2.
Maternal grandfather of Livia
Augusta.

Augur, see Lentulus.

Augusta, applied to Anton ia minor,
Claudia, Domitia, Julia, Livia
Drusilla, q.v. Augustae, N. xxvin.
2.

Augustales (sod ales), CI. VI. 2

(see note) ; G. vm. 1.
Augustiani, N. xxv. 1. Cf. Tac.

Ann. 14. 15.
Augustinus, -a, um, adj. from

Augustus : currus, CI. XI. 2.
Augustus, the Emperor : Augustus,

J. lv. 3, 4, lvi. 7, Lxxxvm. ; A.

Digitized by

INDEX

n. 2 (few), 3 (few), IV. 1, 2 (few),
V., VII. 2, LIX., XCIV. 2, 4, 8, 9,
12,0. 3; T. IV. 3, VI. 3, 4, VII. 2,
VIII. (few), X. 1, XI. 1, 4, XII. 1, 3,
XIII. 2, XV. 2, XVI. 1, XVII. 2 (few),
xxi. 1, 2, xxii. (ter), xxni., xlii.

2, XLVn., XLVHI. 2, L. 1, 2, LI. 1,
LVn. 2, LVIII., LXI. 3, LXVIII. 3,

lxx. 3; Cal. i. 1, iv., vu., vra.

3, 4, ix., xvi. 1, XXIII. 1, xxv. 1,
xxxi., xxxiv. 1, xlviii. 1; CI.
1. 1, 4, 5, m. 2, iv. 7, vi. 1, xi. 2,
xx. 1, xxi. 2, xxv. 5, xxvi. l;
N. in. 2, Iv., x-. 1, xxv. 1; G. i.,
iv. 1; Vit. II. 2; V. n. 1, ix. 1,
xxm. 4r, D. rv. 3; Gr. xvi., xvn.,
xix., xx., xxi. ; Rh. I., iv.; Verg.
12, 21, 27, 31, 35, 37, 38, 41;
Hor. (quinquies). Augusti forum,
CI. xxxm. 1; Augusti templum,
T. XL. (at Nola), xlvii. ; Cal. xxi.,
XXII. 4. Augusti statua, T. LIU.
2, LVIII. ; N. XII. 3 ; G. I. Augusti
simulacrum, T. lviii. Divus
Augustus, A. v.; Cal. xxii. 4,
xxxvm. 1; Vit. I. 2. Caesar
Augustus, A. lviii. 2. C. Caesar,
A. VII. 2. Caesar, A. LI. 2,
LXX. 1, 2, xcvil. 2; Verg. 37,
38 ; Hor. C. Octavius, J. Lxxxm.
2, (few). Romulus, A. VII. 2. C/.
Thurinus and *e« Nero, Vitellius,
Tiberius.

Augustus mensis, A. 0. 3.

Augustus mous, T. xlviii. 1.

Augustum saeculum, A. 0. 3.

Aurea domus, N. xxxi. 1, xxxvhi.
1; O. vn. 1.

Aurelia, J. lxxiv. 2. Mother of
Julius Caesar.

Aurelia via, G. xx. 2. A road
leading from the Aemilian bridge
through the Aurelian gate (Porta
di S. Pancrazio) west and north
to the coast towns of Etruria;
later extended to Arelate (Aries).

Aurelius Cotta, J. I. 2.

(Aurelius) Cotta, L., J. lxxix. 3.
* (Aurelius) Cotta (Messalinus), L.,
Gr.l.

Aurelius Opilius, Gr. vi.
Aurunculeius, Cotta, L., J. xxv. 2;

Hor. Consul in 65 B.C.
Autroniug, X*. ( ?), J. ix. 1 (few).

Aventinus, Vit. XVI. The most
southern of the hills of Home.

Avernus lacus, A. xvi. 1 ; N. xxxi.
3 (bis). A lake near Cumae and
Baiae, and not far from Naples,
fabled to be an entrance to the
Lower World.

Aviola, see Acilius.

A vitus, see Octavius.

Axius, J. ix. 2.

Baiae, A. xvi. 1, lxiv. 2; T. vi. 3;
Cal. xix. 1 ; N. xxxi. 3 ; xxxiv. 2.
A town at the northern end of
the Bay of Naples, a favourite
watering-place of the Romans.

Baianus sinus, Cal. xix. 3; N.
XXVII. 3.

Balbillus, N. XXXVI. 1.

Balbus, see Atius and Cornelius.

Baliaris insula, G. x. 1. One of
two islands in the Mediterranean
near the eastern coast of Spain;
modern Majorca and Minorca.

Ballista, Verg. 17 (few). A school-
master.

Barbatus, see Valerius.

Basilides, V. vn. 1 (see note).

Bass us, see Caesius.

Batavi, Cal. xliii.

Bato, T. xx. A leader of the
Pannonians.

Bauli, N. xxxiv. 2: cl. Cal. xix. 1.
A small town of "Campania be-
tween Misenum and Baiae.

Beccus (-o), Vit. xvill.

Beneventanus, -a, -urn, adj. from
Beneventum : Gr. ix.

Beneventum, A. xcvil. 3 ; N. xxxvi.
1, Gr. ix. A town in Samnium,
modern Benevento.

Berenice, Tit. vn. 1, 2. Daughter
of Agrippa I, king of Judaea.

Berytius, -a, -urn, adj. from Bcry-
tus, a city of Phoenicia : Gr. xxi v.

Bessi, A. in. 2. A mountain tribe
of the Thracians.

Betriacensis, -e, adj. from Betria-
cum; victoria, Vit. x. 1; cvpias,
Vit. XV. 2; acie, V. v. 7.

Betriacum (also Bedriacum and
Bebriacum), O. ix. 2. A village
of northern Italy between Verona
and Cremona.

517

Digitized by

INDEX

Bibaculus, see Furius.

BiberiuB Caldius Mero, T. xlii. 1.
A name coined in jest after
Tiberius Claudius Nero, from
bibo, drink, cal(i)dus, hot, and
merum, unmixed wine.

Bibulus, M M J. ix. 2, x. 1, xix. 1
(bis), 2, XX. 2 iter), XXI., XLIX. 2.

Bithynia, J. n. (bis), xxxix. 1,
xlix. 1, 3. A district of
northern Asia Minor on the
Propontis (Sea of Marmora) and
the Euxine (Black Sea).

Bithynicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Bithynia : fornieem, J. xlix. 1 ;
reginam, J. xlix. 2.

Bogudes ( ?), gen. Bogudis, J. Ln. 1.

Bononia, A. xcvi. 1. Modern
Bologna.

Bononienses, A. xvn. 2; N. vn. 2.

The people of Bononia.
Boter, CI. xxvu. 2. A freedman of

Claudius.
Bovillae, A. C. 2 (Ms). An ancient

town of Latium on the Appian

Way, about twelve miles from

Rome.

Breuci, T. IX. 2. A people of

Pannonia.
Britanni, J. xxv. 2; Cal. xliv. 2.
Britannia, J. xxv. 2, xlvii., lviii.

1 ; Cal. xix. 3 ; CI. xvn. 1, xxi. 6 ;

N. xviii., XL. 2; V. iv. 1 (bis);

Tit. iv. 1 ; D. x. 3.
Britannicus, -a, -um, adj. from

Britannia : clades, N. xxxix. 1 ;

expeditio, G. vn. 1; Vit. ii. 4;

triumphus, CI. xxvili.
Britannicus, CI. xxvu. 1 (Ger-

manicus), xxvu. 2, xliii.; N.

vi. 4, vu. 1, xxxiii 2 (bis), 3;

Tit. ii. 1 (ter). Son of the

emperor Claudius.
Brixellum, O. IX. 1. A town of

northern Italy on the Po between

Parma and Mantua; modern

Brescello.
Bructerus, T. xix. One of the

Breucteri, a Germanic people,

occupying the territory of

modern Westphalia.
Brundisium, J. xxxiv. 1, Lvni. 2;

A. xvn. 3 (bis) ; Rh. I. ; Verg. 35.

A seaport of south-eastern Italy,

518

the regular point of departure
for Greece and the Orient;
modern Brindisi.
Brutus, D., J. lxxx. 4, lxxxi. 4,
LXXXIU. 2; A. x. 2, 3. One of
the conspirators against Caesar's
life;

Brutus, L., J. lxxx. 3 (bis). The

first Roman consul.
Brutus, M., J. xlix. 2, L. 2, lv. 1,

LVI. 1, LXXX. 4, LXXXII. 2, LXXXV. ;

A ix., x. 1, xiii. 1, lxxxv. 1 ; T.
lxi. 3; N. hi. 1; G. m. 2; O. x.
1; Gr. xin.; Rh. # vi.: Hor.
Leader with Cassius of the con-
spiracy against Caesar'* life.

Bubula, ad capita, A. v. Probably
the name of a street or quarter
at the north-east corner of the
Palatine Hill.

Bucolica, Gr. xxm.; Verg. 9, 19,
25, 26, 43. The Bucolics of
Vergil.

Burrus (Afranius), N. xxxv. 5.
Prefect of the praetorian guard
under Claudius and Nero.

Burse 11 us, Gr. XI.

Byzantium, V. vin. 4. A city of
Thrace on the Bosphorus, modern
Constantinople.

Caboilius Atticus, Q., T. vn. 2;
Gr. xrv., xvi. T. Pomponius
Atticus, the friend of Cicero,
after his adoption by Q. Caecilius,
called Q. Caecilius Pomponianus
Atticus.

Caecilius Epirota, Q., Gr. xvi. (bi$).

Caecilius Metellus, Q., J. xvi. 1,
lv. 3. A tribune of the com-
mons.

(Caecilius) Metellus, Q., A. lxxxix.

2. Cons, in 143 B.C., and famous

as an orator.
(Caecilius) Metellus Numidicus, Q.,

Gr. in..

Caecilius (Statius), Ter. IT. (bis), v.

The famous comic poet (219-

166 B.C.).
Caecina, A., J. lxxv. 5.
Caecina, A., Tit. vi. 2. Consul in

69 A.D.
Caecus, see Claudius.
Caelius mons, T. xlviu. 1 (bi$) ; V.

Digitized by

E. 1. One of the hills of Rome,

between the Aventine and the

Esquiline.
Caelius, M., Rh. II.
Caenis, V. m. xxi. ; D. xn. 3.
Caepio, see Fannius, Rustius,

Servilius.
Caemleus fons, CI. xx. 1 . A spring

in the Sabine territory, one

of the sources of the aqua

Claudia.

Caesar, see Augustus, Claudius,

Domitianus, Gaius, Iulius, Nero,

Sulpicius Galba, Tiberius, Ves-

pasianus, Vitellius. Caesares,

Cal. LX.; CI. I. 5, X. 4', G. I.,

xn. 2; Tit. viil. 1; Caesarum

aedes. G. I.; domus, G. 2;

imagines, Cal. xiv. 3, xxm. 1;

memoria ae templa, Cal. LX.;

nemus, A. xliii. 1; potestas. T.

XIV. 2; progenies, O.I.
Caesar Strabo (C. Iulius), J. lv. 2.

Aedile in 90 B.C., an orator and

writer of tragedies.
Caesar, C, A. xxvi. 2, xxix. 4,

LXIV. 1 (bis), LXV. 1 (bis), 2,

LXVH. 2, XCIII. ; T. XI. 5, XII. 2,

XIII. 1, 2, XV. 2, XXIII. ; N. V. 1.

Grandson and adopted son of

Augustus.
Caesar, L., A. xxvi. 2, xxix. 4,

LXIV. 1 (bis), lxv. 1 (bis), 2;

T. xi. 5, xv. 2, xxm., lxx. 2.

Grandson and adopted son of

Augustus.
Caesar, L., J. lxxv. 3 (bis),
Caesarea, A. LX. The name of

several cities called after Caesar

Augustus.
Caesarianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Caesar, referring to Julius : necis,

N. m. 1.

Caesario, A. xvil. 5; c/. J. lii. 1, 2.
Caesetius Flavus, J. lxxix. 1,

lxxx. 3. A tribune of the

commons.
Caesius Bassus, Pers. (bis).
Caesonia, Cal. xxv. 3, xxxm.,

xxxviii. 3, l. 2, lix. Wife of

Caligula.
Caesonius Priscus, T., T. XLH. 2.
Calabri, Verg. 36. The people of

Calabria, a district of south-

eastern Italy, used for Calabria
itself.

Calagurritani, A. xlix. 1. The

• inhabitants of Calagurris, a
town of north-western Spain, on
the Iberus (Ebro). .

Caldius, see Biberius.

Caligula, see Gaius, the emperor.

Callippides, T. xxxviii (see note).

Calpenus, Q., J. xxxix. 1.

Calpurnia, J. xxi., lxxxi. 3.
Daughter of L. Piso and third
wife of Julius Caesar.

Calpurnius Piso (C), Cal. xxv. 1
(bis). Husband of Livia Orestilla
and leader of a conspiracy against
Nero in 62 ; see Pisonianus.

(Calpurnius) Piso, Cn., J. ix. 3 (bis).

(Calpurnius) Piso (Cn.), T. lii. 3;
Cal. n., in. 3 ; Vit. u. 3. Governor
of Syria.

(Calpurnius) Piso, L., J. xxi.,
lxxxiii. 1. Father of Caesar's
wife Calpurnia.

(Calpurnius) Piso, L., T. xlii. 1;
Rh. vi.

(Calpurnius) Piso Frugi Licinianus,
G. xvii.; O. v. 1, vi. 3.
. Calpurnius Statura, Pers.
Calvina, see Iunia.
Calvini, N. I. 1.

Calvinus, see Domitius and Eficius.

Calvus, see Licinius.

Camerinus, see Sulpicius.

Camilla, see Livia Medullina.

Camillus, see Furius.

Campania, A. lxxil 2, xcvin. 1 ;
T. xi. 1, xxxix., xl., lxxii. 2;
Cal. xiv. 2, xxrv. 2, xxxvu. 2;
CI. v. ; Vit. xvi. ; V. xxiv. ; Tit.
vm. 3, 4; Verg. 13; Plin.

Campanus, -a, -um, adj. to Cam-
pania : ager. J. xx. 3; A. iv. 2;
pugiles, Cal. xvni. 1; via, A.
xciv. 7 (see note).

Campus, see Marti us, Esquilinus,
Leontinus, Stellas.

Cauace, N. xxi. 3. Daughter of
Aeolus. She had several chil-
dren by Poseidon and was killed
by her father because of her
guilty passion for her brother.
She was the subject of a tragedy
sung by Nero.

519

Digitized by

INDEX

Caninius Bebitus, N. xv. 2; cf.
J. lxxvi. 2. Appointed consul
for a single day by Julius
Caesar.

Cannutius, C, Rh. IV.

Cantabria, A. xxi. 1, lxxxi. 1;
G. vni. 2. A district in the
northern part of Spain.

Cantabricus, -a, -um, adj. from
Cantabria : bellum, A. XX., lxxxv.
1; expeditio, A. xxix. 3; T. IX.
1; Verg. 31.

Canus, G. xn. 3.

Capella, see Statilius.

Capita Bubula, see Bubula.

Capito, see Ateius and Fonteius.

Capitolinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Capitolium : area, Cal. xxn. 4,
xxxiv. 1; certamen, D. xiu. 1.
See also Catulus, Iuppiter, Venus.

Capitolium, J. x. l,*xv., xxxvu. 2,
liv. 3, lxxix. 2; A. xxix. 1,
LVII. 1, LIX., XCI. 2, XCIV. 8, 9
(Ms); T. I. 2, n. 4, m. 2, xx.;
Cal. vi. 1, xvi. 4, xxii. 4, xlvi.,
lx. ; CI. ii. 2, x. 3, xxii., xxiv. 3 ;
N. XII. 4, XIII. 2, XLVI. 2; Vit.
xv. 3; V. vin. 5, xviii.; D. I. 2,
v. (bis), XIU. 2, XV. 2, xxill. 2.
The temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus, with Juno and
Minerva, on the Capitoline hill.
Also applied to the whole of
that summit of the hill and to
temples to the same triad of gods
in other cities of Italy : Bene-
venti, Gr. IX.; Capuae, T. XL.;
Cal. lvii. 2.

Cappadocia, Cal. I. 2; V. vm. 4.
A country in the eastern part
of Asia Minor.

Cappadox, adj. to Cappadocia : T.
XXX VII. 4.

Capreae, A*, lxxii. 3, xcn. 2,
xcviii. 1, 3, 4; T. XL., lx., lxii.
2, LXXHI. 1, LXXIV; Cal. X. 1:
Vit. Hi. 2 ; cf. T. xlv. An island
near Naples, modern Capri.

Caprensis, -e, adj. from Capreae ;
secessus, T. XLill. 1.

Capricornus, A. xciv. 12. One of
the signs of the Zodiac.

Caprineus, T. xliii. 2.

Capua, J. lxxxi. 1 (bis); T. xx.;

520

Cal. lvii. 2. An ancient city of
Campania.

Capys, J. lxxxi. 1 (bis). Founder
and king of Capua.

Carchedoniaca, CI. xlii. 2 (bis). A
History of Carthage, by the
emperor Claudius, from Kapx7ft»*>
the Greek name of the city.

Carinae, T. xv. 1 (see note) ; Gr. xv.

Carmelus, V. v. 6. The god of
Mount Carmel in Phoenicia.

Carnulus, T. LXI. 5 (his).

Carthago, Ter. I. (bis).

Carthago Nova, G. IX. 2. A sea-
port of south-eastern Spain;
modern Carthasena.

Carthaginiensis, -e, adj. from Car-
thago : see Sulpicius.

Carvilius Pictor, Verg. 44.

Cascae, J. lxxxh. 1, 2. Two
brothers, members of the con-
spiracy against Julius Caesar.

Caspiae Portae, N. xix. 2. A pass
through the range of moun-
tains south-east of the Caspian
Sea.

Cassiope, N. xxn. 3. A town of

Corcyra (modern Corfu).
Cassius, N. xxn. 3. An epithet

applied to J upiter as the tutelary

divinity of Cassiope.
Cassius, Cal. lvii. 1.
Cassius, C, J. lxxx. 4, lxxxv.;

A. ix., x. 1; T. lxi. 3; N. m. 1,

xxxvu. 1; G. ill. 2; O. x. 1;

Gr. xra. Leader with M. Brutus

of the conspiracy against Julius

Caesar.

Cassius, L., J. lxiii. ; Gr. xra.
Cassius Chaerea, Cal. lvi. 2, lvii. 3,

LVIII. 2 (bis),
Cassius Longinus, L., Cal. xxiv. 1,

LVII. 3. Consul in 30 A. I).
Cassius Longinus, N. xxxvn. 1.
Cassius Parmensis, A. IV. 2. A poet.

who was one of the murderers of

Julius Caesar; cf. Hor. Epist. 1.

4. 3.

Cassius Patavinus, A. LI. 1.

Cassius Scaeva, J. LXVin. 4 (bis).
One of Caesar's centurions.

Cassius Severus, A. lvi. 3 ; Cal. xvi.
1; Vit. H. 1; Gr. xxn. A dis-
tinguished orator, noted for the

Digitized by

INDEX

bitterness of his style; of. Plin.
- JVJJ. 7. 55.
astor, J. x. 1 ; T. xx ; Cal. xxn. 2;

O. ix. 2 (ad Castoris).
Jastricius, A. lvi. 4.
^atalepton, Verg. 17.
3atilina (L. Sergius), J. xiv. 1,

xvn. 1 Iter) ; A. ra. 1, xciv. 5.
ZJato (M. Porcius Censorinus), A.
lxxxvi. 3; Gr. xv. The cele-
brated orator, historian and
statesman (234-149 B.C.).
Cato, M. (Porcius Uticensis), J.
xiv. 2, xix. 1, xx. 4, xxx. 3,
mi. 1; A. xin. 2, lxxxv. 1,
LXXXVH. 1. The great-grandson
of Cato the Censor (95-46 B.C.).
A type of austere virtue.
Cato, see Valerius.
Catulinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Catulus, referring to Q. (Lutatius)
Catulus Capitolinus : Gr. xvu.
Catullus, see Valerius.
Catulus Capitolinus, Q., J. xv. ; A.
xciv. 8 (Iris) ; G. n., ra. 4 ; Gr. in.
A prominent leader of the aris-
tocratic party, who restored
the Capitol after its destruction
in 83 B.C.
Cauchi (also Chauci), CI. xxiv. 3.
A people of north-eastern Ger-
many near the mouth of the
Visurgis (Weser).
Cauchius, see Gabinius Secundus.
Caudex, see Claudius.
Cebenna mons, J. xxv. 1. A
mountain range in southern
Gaul, the modern Cervennes.
Cebes, Verg. 9 (bis).
Celadus, A. lxvii. 1.
Censorinus, see Marcius.
centumviralis, -e, adj. from centum-
viri : Jiasta, A. xxxvi. (see note) ;
lis, Rh. vi.
cjntumviri, D. vui. 1. Members
of the Court of the Hundred
Judges; see note on A. xxxvi.
Ceraunii montes, A. xvu. 3. A
mountain range in north-eastern
Epirus, also called Acroceraunia,
ending in a promontory of the
same name, the " Thunder
Cape."

Cercei, A. XVI. 4; T. Lxxn. 2. A

promontory and town on the
coast of Latium.

Cerealis, see Civica.

Ceres, A. xoill.; N. XII. 4. The
Italian goddess identified with
the Greek De meter, goddess of
agriculture; in the two cases
cited used of Demeter herself.

Cerrinius Gallus, A. mi. 3.

Cerylus, V. xxm. 1.

Cestius Gallus, T. xui. 2.

Chaerea, see Cassius.

Chaldaei, V. Xiv. 4 ; D. XIV. 1. An
Assyrian people, noted for their
knowledge of astronomy and
astrology; hence a designation
of astrologers in general.

Chares, see Oppius.

Charicles, T. lxxii. 3. A physi-
cian.

Chatti, D. VI. 1 (bis). A people ot
western Germany, near the
Rhine.

Chattus, -a, -um, adj. to Chatti :

mulier, Vit. XIV. 5.
Chii, T. VIII. The people of Chios,

an island in the Aegean Sea, on

the coast of Ionia.
Chrestus, CI. xxv. 4 ; see note.
Christiani, N. XVI. 2.
Chrysippus, Pers. A celebrated

Stoic philosopher, born at Soli

in Cilicia in 280 B.C.
Cicero, see Tullius.
Cilicia, J. in., viu.; V. vui. 4.

(See Trachia.) A district of

south-eastern Asia Minor.
Cimber, see Annius and Tillius.
Cimbri, J. xi.: Cal. li. 3. A

people of the Ciinbric peninsular

(Jutland) in northern Germany.
Cimbricus, -a, -um, adj. from

Cimbri : bellum, A. xxm. 2.
Cinaria, T. lvi. An island in the

Aegean Sea (also called Cinara),

modern Zinara.
Cincinnatus, Cal. xxxv. 1.
Cinna, see Cornelius and Helvius.
Cinna, Gr. XI.

Cinnanus, -a, -um, adj. from Cinna :

temporibus, Cal. LX.
Circus Maximus, J. xxxix. 2; A.

xliii. 2, lxxiv.; Cal. xvni. 3;

CI. XXI. 3; N. XXII. 2, xxv. 2,

521

Digitized by

INDEX

xxvii. 2; D. iv. 1; v. The
Great Circus at Rome, in the
valley between the Palatine and
Aventine hills, often called
merely " the Circus," although
there were others at Rome.

Ciris, Verg. 17.

Cisalpina, see Gallia.

Civica Cerealis, D. x. 2.

Claudia, T. n. 3. Daughter of
App. Claudius Caecus.

Claudia (Quinta), T. II. 3. Grand-
daughter of App. Claudius Caecus.

Claudia, T. II. 4. A Vestal virgin.

Claudia, A. Lxn. 1. Daughter of
Fulvia and P. Clodius.

Claudia, CI. xxvil. 1 (bis). Daughter
of the emperor Claudius.

Claudia Augusta, N. xxxv. 3.
Daughter of the emperor Nero.

Claudii, T. II. 1, 4; VI. 2. L.
Claudii duo, T. i. 2.

Claudilla, tee Iunia.

Claudius, the Emperor : T. Claudius
Drusus, CI. II. 1: Tiberius, CI.
rv. 1, 6, 6; Claudius, Cal. xv. 2,
xxi., xxra. 3, xlix. 3; CI. i. 6,
ii. 1, ra. 2, xxix. 2, xxxvii. 2;
N. VI. 2, 3, 4 ; VII. 1, 2, Vlll., IX.,
xxxm. 1, xxxv. 4, xxxix. 3;
G. VII. 1, xiv. 3; O. I. 2, 3; tit.
ii. 4, 5, iv.; V. rv. 1, Xxv.; Tit.
n. ; D. iv. 3; Gr. xxm. ; Claudius
Caesar, CI. I. 1 ; Divus Claudius,
V. rx. 1 ; Germanicus, CI. ii. 1.

Claudius, -a, -um, adj. to Claudius,
Claudii : gens, T. I. 1 ; aquae, CI.
xx. 1 ; familiae, CI. xxxix. 2.

Claudius Agathurnus, Pers.

Claudius, Appius, Gr. x. Brother
of P. Clodius Pulcher.

Claudius, Atta, T. I. 1.

Claudius Caecus, App., T. n. 1,
ill. 1 : CI. XXIV. 1 ( bis). Consul
in 312 B.C.

Claudius Caudex, App., T. n. 1.
Consul in 264 B.C.

(Claudius) Nero, Tib. (?), T. n. 1.

(Claudius) Nero, (Tib.), T. in. 1.
Son of Caecus.

(Claudius) Nero, Tib., A. lxh. 2;
T. IV. 1. Husband of Li via.

Claudius Nero, see Tiberius, the
Emperor.

522

Claudius Pulcher, App., T. n. 2, 3,

ill. 1. Son of Caecus.
Claudius Pulcher, P., Gr. x.;

more commonly known as P.

Clodius Pulcher, q.v.
Claudius Regillianus, T. n. 2.

The Decemvir, consul in 451 B.C.

(traditional chronology).
Claudius Russus, T. 11. 2; see note

on text.

Clemens, T. xxv. 1, 3. See also

Arrecinus and Flavins.
Cleopatra, J. xxxv. 1, lii. 1, 2;

A. xvil. (quater) ; N. in. 2.
Clitumnus, Cal. xliu. A river of

southern Umbria, celebrated for

the clearness of its water, and

described by Pliny, Epist. 8. 8.

Also a grove at its source, sacred

to Juppiter Clitumnus.
Clodianus, D. xvn. 2.
Clodius (Pulcher), P., J. VI. 2, xx.

4, xxvi. l, lxxiv. 2; A. lxii. l ;

T. 11. 4. The notorious tribune

and opponent of Cicero.
Clodius, Sex., Rh. v. (bis).
Clodius Licinus, Gr. xx.
Clodius Macer, G. XI.
Clodius Pollio, D. I. 1.
Clodius, Servius, Gr. in. (bis).
Clodius, -a, -um, adj. to Clodius :

lex, D. IX. 3.
Clunia, G. IX. 2. A city of northern

Spain, in the country of the

Arc Vftci •
Cluvius Rufus, N. xxi. 2.
Cocceianus, see Salvius.
Codeta minor, J. xxxix. 4. A

marshy place on the right bank

of the Tiber, opposite the Campus

Martius.

Colosseros (from KoAoo-vor and

*Eparc), Cal. XXXV. 2.

Colossus, N. xxxi. 1; a colossal
statue of Nero in the vestibule of
the Golden House. Cf. V. xvni.

Columbinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Columbus, a gladiator : venerium,
Cal. lv. 2.

Columbus, Cal. lv. 2.

Comata, see Gallia.

Commagene, V. vni. 4. A district
in the northern part of Syria,
bordering on the Euphrates,

Digitized by

INDEX

Commagenus, -a. -urn, adj. from
Commagene : Cal. xvi. 3.

Compitales Lares, Aug. xxxi. 4.
Tutelary gods, having shrines at
the cross-roads (compita).

Compitalia, Ter. v. A play of
Afranius.

Compitalicii ludi, Aug. xxxi. 4.
Games celebrated at the Compi-
talia, the festival of the Compi-
tales Lares, in the early part of
January.

Comum, see Novum Comum.

Concordia, T. xx.; Vit. xv. 4. A
Roman goddess with a temple at
the western end of the Forum,
at the foot of the Capitoline hill.
A title given to Vitellius, Vit. xv.
4 (bis).

Confluentes, Cal. vm. 1. A town

at the confluence of the Moselle

and the Rhine, modern Coblentz.
Cordubensi8, -e, adj. from Corduba,

a city of southern Spain, modern

Cordova : A. Li. 2; Luc.
Cordus, see Cremutius.
Corfinium, J. xxxnr. 1; N. n. 2.

A city of the Paeligni in central

Italy, modern Pelino.
Corinthiarius, A. lxx. 2; see note.
Corinthius, -a, -um, adj. from

Corinthus : vasa. A. lxx. 2 (bis);

T. xxxiv. 1. Vessels made of

Corinthian bronze and highly

prized.
Corinthus, G., m. 4.
Cornelia, J. I. 1, VI. 1, 2. First

wife of Julius Caesar.
Cornelia, D. vill. 4. A chief Vestal.
Cornelii, J. lix.

Cornelius, A. xxvi. 1; see also

Scipio and Sulla.
Cornelius, -a, -um, adj. to Corne-
lius : legibus, J. xi.; lege, A.

xxxiii. 2.
Cornelius Alexander, surnamed

Polyhistor and Historia, Gr. xx.
Cornelius Balbus, J. LXXVin. 1,

lxxxi. 2; A. xxix. 5.
(Cornelius) Cinna (L.), J. I. 1.

Consul with Marius.
(Cornelius) Cinna, L., J. V. Son

of the preceding.
Cornelius Cinna, J. lxxxv.

(Cornelius) Dolabella, J. IV. 1,

xlix. 1 (bis), lv. 1.
Cornelius Dolabella, Cn., Ter. v.
(Cornelius) Dolabella, Cn., G. XII. 2.
(Cornelius) Dolabella, P., J. xxxvi.
(Cornelius) Dolabella (P.), Gr. xiv.

Son-in-law of Cicero.
Cornelius Epicadus, Gr. XII.
Cornelius Fuscus, D. VI. 1. Pre-
fect of the praetorian guard.
Cornelius Gallus, A. lxvi. 1, 2;

Gr. xvi. (ter); Verg. 19. The

elegiac poet.
Cornelius Laco, G. xrv. 2. Prefect

of the praetorian guard.
Cornelius Nepos, J. lv. 1; A.

lxxvii.; Gr. iv.; Rh. in.; Ter.

L, in. The well-known Roman

writer (99-24 B.C.).
Cornelius Phagita, J. lxxiv. 1.
Cornelius Sabinus, Cal. LVin.2(&if).
Corniflcius, L., A. xxix. 5.
Cornutus, L. Annaeus, Pers.

(deciens).
Corvinus, see Statilius and Valerius.
Cosanus, -a, -um, adj. from Cosa, a

city of Etruria, modern Anse-

donia; praedia, V. n. 1.
Cosconius, Q., Ter. v.
Cosmus, A. lxvii. 1.
Cossutia, J. I. 1.

Cotiso, A. LXIH. 2. A king of the
Getae.

Cotta, see Aurunculeius and Aure-
lius.

Cottius, T. xxxvii. 3 ; N. xvm. The
name of two kings, father and son,
whose realm was in the Cottian
Alps, between Italy and Gaul.

Cross ici us Pasicles, L., Gr. xvm.
(ter). Later surnamed Pansa.

Crassus, see Licioius.

Crates, Gr. II., xi. A celebrated
grammarian of Mallos in Cicilia.

Cremona, V. VII. 1 ; Verg. 6, 7. A
city of northern Italy, on the Po.

Cremutius Cordus, A. xxxv. 2;
Cal. xvi. 1; cf. T. lxi. 3. A
Roman historian of the time of
Augustus and Tiberius.

Creta, V. n. 3.

Crispinus, see Rufrius.

Crispus, see Passienus, Sallustius,
and Vibius.

523

Digitized by

INDEX

Culex, Verg. 17; Luc. An early
poem of Vergil.

Cuuiae, Gr. vni. An ancient
town of Campania.

Cupido, Cal. vil.; G. xx. 2

Curio, C. : pater, J. IX. 2 (bis), 3,
XIIX. 1 (bis), m. 3; filius, J.
xxix. 1, xxxvi. ; Rh. I. ; Curiones
pater et filius, J. I. 1.

Curius, Q., J. xvii. 1 (bis), 2.

Curti lacus, A. lvii. 1; G. xx. 2.
A marsh in the Roman Forum,
the site of which was afterwards
enclosed by a wall and has
recently been uuearthed. Various
stories are told of its origin ; see
Varro, Ling. Lat. 5. 148 f.; Livy,
1. 12; 7. 6; Dionysius Hal., 2. 42.

Curtius fons, CI. xx. 1. A spring
in the Sabine country, one of
the sources of the Claudian
aqueduct.

Curtius Nicias, Gr. xiv. (quinquiet).

Custos, see Juppiter.

Cutiliae (also Cutilia), V. xxiv. A
town in the Sabine country, near
Reate.

Cybiosactes, V. xix. 2 ; see note.

Cynegirus, J. ixviii. 4. A brother
of the poet Aeschylus, who dis-
tinguished himself by his valour
at the battle of Salamis.

Cynicus, see Demetrius and Isidorus.

Cynobellinus, Cal. xiiv. 2. A king
of the Britons.

Cyrenae, V. n. 3. A Greek city on
the northern coast of Africa,
between Carthage and Alex-
andria.

Cyrus, J. ixxxvii. Cyrus the
Great, founder of the Persian
Empire; the subject of Xeno-
phon's Cyropaedeia.

Cyziceni, Tib. xxxvii. 3. The
people of Cyzicus, a city of
north-western Asia Minor.

Daci, J. xliv. 3; A. viii. 2, xxi. 1 ;

T. xil.; D. VI. 1 (bis). The

people of Dacia, on the northern

bank of the Danube.
Dalmatae (also Delmatae), T. IX. 2.

The people of Dalmatia.
Dalmatia (also Delniatia), A. XXI

524

1; CI. xiii. 2; O. IX, 3. A

country on the eastern shore of I

the Adriatic. 1
Damoetas. Verg. 43.
Danuvius, T. xvi. 2. The Danube.
Daphuis, Verg. 14 ; seealso Lutatius. I
Dareus, Cal. xix. 2. A Parthian boy. |
Datus, N. xxxix. 3. An actor.
December mensis, J. xi. 2; A.

xxxii. 3, ixxi. 1 ; Cal. vi. 2 ; Hor.

(bis) ; Pers. (bis).
Delniatia, see Dalmatia.
Delmaticus, -a, -um, adj. from

Delmatia (Dalmatia) : bellum, A.

xx. : triumphus, A. xxn.
Delphi, N. xi. 3. The chief city

of Phocis in Greece, famous for

its oracle.
Demetrius Cynicus, V. xm.
Demochares, A. xvi. 3.
denarius, A. ivii. 2, ixi. 4, ixvii.

2; T. xivill. 2: Cal. XIVI. A

Roman coin containing ten, and

afterwards eighteen, asses ; equal

to about 8d. or 16 cents.
Dertosa, G. x. 4. A town of

Spain, near the mouth of the

Iberus (Ebro).
Dialis, -e, adj. to Juppiter (cf.

Diespiter) : flamen, J. 1. 1, the

special priest of Jupiter ; ftamon-

ium, A. xxxi. 4; sacerdote, D.

iv. 4.

Diana, A. xxix. 5. The Roman
goddess identified with the Greek
Artemis.

Diana, Gr. xi. (bis). A poem of
Valerius Cato.

Dictynna, Gr. xi. ; see note.

Dido, N. xxxi. The well-known
queen of Carthage.

Didymeum, Cal. xxi. A sanctu-
ary of Apollo Didymaeus at
Didyraa, a city of Ionia near
Miletus.

Diodorus, V. xix. 1. A lyre-
player.

Diogenes, T. xxxn/ 2. A gram-
marian.

Diomedes, A. ixvn. 1. A steward

of Augustus.
Dionysius, A. ixxxix. 1. Son of

Areus, a philosopher.
Dionysius Scytobrachion, Or. vil

Digitized by

INDEX

'* Dionysius of the leathern arm,"
an historian of Mytilene.

Dioscurides, A. L.

Dirae, Verg. 17.

Diribitorium, CI. xvra. 1 (see note).

Dis, O. VIII. 3. God of the Under
World, another name for Pluto.

Dius Fidins, T. XXI. 6. God of
Faith, at first identified with
Juppiter and later with the Sabine
deity Semo Sancus.

Dolabella, see Cornelius.

Domitia Lepida : Lepida, N. v. 2,
VI. 3, vil. 1; Domitia, Pass.
Aunt of the emperor Nero.

Domitia Longina, T. X. 2 ; D. I. 3.
III. 1 (Augusta); XXII. Wife of
the emperor Domitian.

Domitianus, the emperor : Domi-
tianus. V. I. 1, III.; D. I. 1 (bis),
xvn. 2, xxiii. 2; Caesar, D. I. 3,
III. 1, XII. 2; Germanicus, D.
xiii. 3; Dims, D. xxiii. 1.

Domitianus, D. xv. 1. Son of
Flavius Clemens.

Domitianus mensis, D. xra. 3.

Domitii, N. I. 2, L.

Domitilla, see Flavia.

Domitius (Cn.), N. n. 1. Grand-
father of Nero's grandfather.

Domitius (Cn., mss. T.), A. xvn. 2:
cf. N. in. Great-grandfather of
the emperor Nero.

Domitius (L.), J. xxiii. 1, xxiv. 1
(bis); cf. N. il. 2. Father of
Nero's great-grandfather.

Domitius, N. rv. Grandfather of
the emperor Nero.

Domitius Ahenobarbus, L., N. I. 1.
The first to bear the surname.

Domitius Ahenobarbus (Cn.), N.
vi. 1, ix., xxviii.; G. v. 1, vi. 1
(mss. L.); O. n. 1; Vit. n. 2;
cf. N. v. Father of the emperor
Nero.

Domitius Ahenobarbus, Cn., Rh.l. ;

cf. N. n. 1.
Domitius Marsus, Gr. ix., xvi; cf.

Tibull. A poet of the Augustan

Age.

Domitius, -a, -urn, adj. to Domitius :

gens, N. I. 1.
Domus publica, J. xlvi. The

official residence of the pontifex

maximus, near the temple of
Vesta in the Forum.
Dorice, adv. from Doricus, " Doric,"
T. LVI.

Doris, -idis, adj. sc. dialectus, T. lvi.

The Doric dialect.
Doryphoros, N. xxix. A freed-

man.
Drausus, T. in. 2.
Druidae, CI. xxv. 5. The Druids,

a Gallic priesthood, with cruel

and barbarous rites, abolished by

Claudius.
Drusi, see Livii.
Drusilla, see Julia, Livia.
Drusinus, -a, -um, adj. from Drusus

fossae, CI. I. 2 (see note).
Drusus, see Claudius.
Drusus, T. ill. 2. The first of the

name.

Drusus, T. vn. 1. Grandfather of

Tiberius.
Drusus, T. Lrv. 1, 2, lxv. 2; Cal.

VII., XII. 1; CI. ix. 1; O. I. 3.

Son of Germanicus Caesar.
Drusus, CI. xxvii. 1 (bis). Son of

the emperor Claudius.
Drusus (Decimus and Nero;* see

CI. i. 1) : Drusus, A. xcix. 1 ;

T. VII. 3, L. 1, lxxvi. ; Cal. I. 1 ;

CI. I. 1, 2, xi. 3, xlvi.; Hor.;

Nero, T. IV. 3; Germanicus, CI.

I. 3. Brother of Tiberius.
Drusus, C, A. xciv. 6.
Drusus Caesar, A. c. 3, ci. 2; T.

vn. 2, xv. 1, xxiii., xxv. 3,

xxxix., lii. 1 (bis), liv. 1, LV.,

lxii. 1 ; Vit. in. 2. Son of the

emperor Tiberius.
Dyrrachium, J. xxxvi., LVin. 2,

LXVIII. 3. A town in the

southern part of Illyricum,

nearly opposite Brundisium.
Dyrrhacinus, -a, -um, adj. from

Dyrrachium : munitione, J.

LXVIII. 2.

Epicius Calvinus, Gr. m.

Egloge, N. L. A nurse of Nero.

Eglogus, Q. ( ?). Vit. I. 2.

Egnatius, M., A. XIX. 1.

Electra, J. lxxxiv. 2 (see note on
text). A tragedy of Sophocles,
rendered into Latin by Atilius.

525

Digitized by

INDEX

Elenchi, Gr. vm. ; see note.
Elephantis T. xliii. 2. A Greek
writer on amatory subjects, of
uncertain date ; cf . Mart. 12. 43. 4.
Eleusinius, -a, -um, adj. from
Eleusis, the city of Attica,
famous for the Eleusinian mys-
teries : sacra, CI. xxv. 5 ; N. xxxiv.
4; cf. A. xciii.

Elogus, Q., see Eglogus. m

Elysius, -a, -um, adj. from Elysium:
campos, Tibull.

Ennia Naevia, Cal. xii. 2, xxvi. 1.

Ennius, Q., A. vn. 2; cf. T. xxi. 5;
Gr. I. (bis), H. (bis), vin. The
" Father cf Roman poetry," who
lived from 239 to 169 B.C.

Ennius, Gr. I. The "younger
Ennius," a grammarian who
flourished from 140 to 100 B.C.

Epaphroditus, N. xlix. 3 ; D. xiv. 4.

Epicadus, see Asmius and Corne-
lius. j . m

Epicureus, -a, -um, adj. from
Epicurus, the famous philo-
sopher : cuiusdam, Gr. VI. ;
sectae, Gr. vin.

Epidhis, M., Rh. iv. (ter).

Epidius Marullus, J. LXXIX. 1,
lxxx. 3. A tribune of the
commons.

Epidius, of Nuceria, Rh. IV.

Epigrammata, Verg. 17.

Epirota, Gr. xvi. (bis). Of Epirus,
a surname of Q. Caecilius.

Eratosthenes, Gr. x. A famous
scholar and writer, born at
Cyrene in 276 B.C. A librarian of
the great Library at Alexandria.

Eros, Verg. 34; see also Staberius.

Erycina, CI. xxv. 5. A surname
of Venus, from her shrine at
Mt. Eryx in the western part
of Sicily.

Esius, see Aesius.

Esquiliae, T. xv. 1; N. xxxi. 1:
Hor.; Verg. 13. The largest of
the hills of Rome, the Esquiline,
in the western part of the city.
Plural because it consisted of
several different parts.

Esquilinus campus, CI. xxv. 3; see
note.

essedarius, see gladiator.
526

Etruria, J. xxxiv. 1 : O. I. 1 ; Pers.

Etruscus, -a, -um, adj. to Etruria :
lingua, A. xcvn. 2.

Eulogius, Q., see Eglogus.

Eunoe, J. Lil. 1. A Moorish queen.

EunuchuB, Ter. 11. " The Eunuch,"
one of the plays of Terence.

Euphorion, T. lxx. 2. A Greek
elegiac poet of the Alexandrine
school, noted for his ornate and
obscure style. He was born at
Chalcis in 276 B.C.

Euphrates, Cal. xiv. 3. The well-
known river of Syria.

Euripides. J. xxx. 5 ; cf. A. xxv. 4.
The Athenian tragic poet.

Eutychus, Cal. lv. 2. A charioteer.

Eutychus, A. xcvi. 2. A donkey-
driver (#00 note).

Fabianus, -a, -um, adj. from Fabia

(tribus) : tributes, A. XL. 2.
Fabius African us, CI. II. 1. Consul

in 10 a.d.
Fabius Labeo, Q., Ter. IV.
(Fabius) Maximus, Q., J. LXXX. 2.
Fabius Persicus, Pers.
Falacrina, V. 11. 1. A village in

the" Sabine country north-east of

Rome, near Reate.
Fannius Caepio, A. xix. 1 ; T. vm.
Fannius Strabo, C, Rh. I. Consul

in 161 B.C.
Faunus, Vit. 1. 2. A mythical king

of the Laurentes in Latium,

father of Latinus.
Faustus, see Perellius.
Faustus Sulla, CI. xxvii. 2; tee also

Sulla.

Favonius, M., A. xm. 2.
Favor, V. xix. 2.

Felicitas, T. V. Good fortune, as a
goddess.

Felix, CI. xxvm.; a freedman of
Claudius : see. also Sulla the
Dictator.

Fenestella, Ter. I. (bis). A writer
of history who died towards the
end of the reign of Tiberius.

Ferentium, 0. 1. 1 ; V. m. A town
of southern Etruria.

Fidenae, T. XL.; Cal. XXXI. A
town in the Sabine territory, a
short distance north of Rome.

Digitized by

IKDEX

Fidius, see Dins Fidius.

Flaccus, Verg. 14; see also Horatius,
Norbanus, Persius, Pompon i us,
Veranius, and Veritas.

Flaminia via, A. xxx. 1, c. 4.
The road leading north by east
from Rome to Ariminum
(Rimini), built by C. Flaminius
in 223 B.C. The part within the
city, called the Via Lata, corre-
sponded with the modern Corso.

Flavia Domitilla, V. III. Wifo of
Vespasian.

(Flavia) Domitilla, V. in. Daughter
of Vespasian.

(Flavia) Domitilla, D. xvn. 1.
Wife of Flavius Clemens.

Flaviales, D. rv. 4 (see note).

Flaviani, Vit. -XV. 3. Followers of
Flavius Vespasianus (the em-
peror Vespasian).

Flavii, Vit. v. 2.

Flavius, see Domitianus, Titus,

Vespasianus.
Flavius, -a, -um, adj. to Flavius,

Flavii : gens, V. I. 1 ; gentis

templum, D. I. 1, v., XV. 2,

XVII. 3; generis origo, V. XII.
Flavius Clemens, D. XV. 1. Cousin

of Domitian.
Flavius Liberalis, V. m. Father-
in-law of Vespasian.
Flavius Petro, T., V. I. 2, 4.
Flavius Sabinus, V. I. 2, V. 2. Son

of Flavins Petro and father of

Vespasian.
Flavius Sabinus, Vit. xv. 2, 3:

V. I. 3; D. I. 2. Brother of

Vespasian.
Flavius Sabinus, D. x. 4. Cousin

of Domitian.
Flavus, see Cassetius, Verginius and

Sulpicius.
Florales ludi, G. VI. 1. Games on

the Floralia, the festival of

Flora, goddess of flowers, held

April 28.
Florus (Flaurus), see Mestrius.
Fonteius Capito, C, Cal. vm. 1.

Consul in 12 A.D.
Fonteius Capito (L.), G. XI.

Consul in 59 A.D.
Formiani, Vit. VII. 2. The people

of Formiae, a town of south-

eastern Latiura on the Appian
Way.

Fortuna, A. LXV. 1; N. xxm. 3;
G. IV. 3, xvm. 2 (bis) ; Praenes-
tina, D. XV. 2; Fortunae Antia-
tinae, Cal. LVII. 3.

Forum Appi, T. II. 2. A smf.ll
town of Latium south-east of
Rome on the Appian Way, at
the beginning of the Pomptine
Marshes.

Frugi, see Calpurnius and Licinius.
Fucinus lacus, J. XLIV. 3 ; CI. XX. 1,

2, xxi. 6, xxxn. A lake in the

country of the Marsi, east of

Rome, drained by Claudius.
Fulvia, A. xvn. 5, lxii. 1 (bis);

Rh. v. Wife of Mark Antony.
Fulvia Sisennia, Pers.
Fulvius Nobilior, M., Ter. v.

Consul in 159 B.C.
Fundanus, -a, -um, adj. from

Fundi, T. v.; decurione, Cal.

xxm. 2; see also Galeria.
Fundi, T. v.; G. IV. 1, VIII. 1. A

town of Latium on the Appian

Way.

Furiae, N. xxxiv. 4. The Furies,

the Greek Eumenides.
Furius, Ter., I. V.

Furius Bibaculus, Gr. rv., ix., xi.
A Roman poet born 103 B.C.,
parodied by Horace, Serm. 2. 5.
39 ff.

(Furius) Camillus, T. in. 2, CI.

xxvi. 1. Dictator in 396 B.C.
(Furius) Camillus Arruntius, O. n.

1. Consul in 32 A.D.
Furius Camillus Scribonianus, CI.

xra. 2, xxxv. 2; O. i. 2.
Furius Leptinus, J. xxxix. 1.
Furnilla, see Marcia.
Fuscus, see Cornelius.
Fusius, Pers.

Gabinius, A., J. L. 1.

Gabinius Secundum Cauchius (P.),
CI. xxrv. 3.

Gadareus, -a, -um, adj. from
Gadara, a town of Palestine,
T. lvii. 1.

Gades, J. vn. 1. A city of south-
western Spain, modern Cadiz.

527

Digitized by

Gaetuli, Ter. I. A people of

north-eastern Africa.
Gaetnlicus, see Lentulus.
Gaianus, -a, -urn, adj. from Gaius,

referring to the emperor : nex t

Tit. I.

Gaius (Caligula), the emperor :
Caligula, Cal. IX. ; Gains, T. LIV.

1, LXII. 3, LXXIII. 2, LXXV; 2,

LXXVI ; Cal. vni. 3, 4, 5, XV. 3,
XIX. 3, XXXVIII. 4, LVI. 2, LVIII. 2,
lx.; CI. vii., ix. 1, x. 1, xi. 1, 3,

xx. 1, xxxviii. 3; N. vi. 3, xxx.
1 ; G. VI. 3, VII. 1 ; O. VI. 1 ; Vit.
IV., xvii. 2; V. H. 3; C. Caesar,
Cal. I. 1, vii., viii. 1, 2, xv. 3;
CI. xxvi. 3; N. VI. 2, vii. 1; G.
VI. 2; Vit. II. 5; V. V. 3; Pass;
Caesar, Cal. XXIX. 1, xxxix. 2,
xli. 1, xlv. 3; CI. ix. 1 ; optimus
maximus Caesar, Cal. xxil. 1;
Jupiter Latiaris, Cal. XXII. 2.

Galba, see Sulpicius.

Galeria Fundana, Vit. VI.

Galli, J. lxxvi. 3, lxxx. 2 (bis);

Cal. XXIX. 2; CI. xxv. 5; N. XL.

1, XLV. 2; G. III. 1, XVI. 2; sing.

(tributario), A. XL. 3.
Gallia, J. xxv. 1, 2, li., liv.; A.

xxi. 1; T. Hi. 2, iv. 1, ix. 2;
Cal. vm. 3, xx., xxxix. 1; G.
III. 2, VI. 3; Vit. X. 1; D. II. 1;
Gr. vn., x.; Cisalpina, J. xxil.
1, XXIX. 2; Citerior, J. xxx. 1,
lvi. 5; Comata, Transalpine
Gaul, where the natives wore
their hair long. J. xxil. 1; T.
IX. 1 ; Togata, Gr. in., the Roman
Province, where the toga was
worn; Transalpina, J. xxix.
2.

Galliac, J. xxn. 1, xxrv. 3, xxvm.
1, xlix. 4; A. lxxix. 1; T. xli.,
XLIX. 2; Cal. XLVH.; CI. I. 3;
N. XL. 4, xlui. 1, 2; G. IX. 2,
XII. 1.

Gallicanus, -a, -um, adj. from
Gallia: homiMs, Vit. xvill.;
homines, N. xliii. 1.

Gallicus, -a, -um, adj. from Gallia :
bellum, J. LVI. 1 (bis); bella, J.
lxix.; N. xxxviii. 2; exercitus,
N. H. 2; habitus, J. lviii. 1;
promncia, CI. xxiv. 2 ; triumpkus

528

J. xxxvn. 1, 2, xlix. 4, li.;
voeabulum, J. xxiv. 2.

Gallfhas, ad., G. 1. (see note).

Gallius, M., T. VI. 3 (bis).

Gallius, Q., A. XXVII. 4.

Gallograecia, Cal. xxix. 2.

Gallus, -a, -um, adj. to Galli :
miles, N. XLI. 2.

Gallus, Gr. XI. * see also Aflnius,
Asinius, Cemnius, Cestius, Cor-
nelius, Plotius, Roscius, Sul-
picius:

Gallus, A. lxvtii. A priest of the
Magna Mater (Cybele).

Gamala, Tit. iv. 3. A city of
Judaea.

Gehenna, see Cebenna.

Gelotiana domus, Cal. xvni. 3. A
house on the south-western slope
of the Palatine Hill, opposite the
Circus Maximus.

Geminus, see Tanusius.

Gemoniae scalae, T. liii. 2, lxi. 4,
LXXV. 1, 2; Vit. xvii. 2. A
flight of steps leading from the
Forum to the Capitoline Hill,
probably between the temple of
Concord and the Career.

Genetrix, see Venus.

Genius : August i, A. lx. (see note);
Qui, Cal. XXVII. 3.

Georgica, Verg. 20, 22, 25, 27, 43.
The Georgics of Vergil.

Gergovia, J. xxv. 2. The principal
town of the Arverni, in the
eastern part of Aquitania.

Germani, J. xxv. 2 (bis) ; A. XXI. 1,
xlix. 1; T. xvn. 1, xli.; Cal.
XLV. 1, LV. 2, LVIII. 3; CI. I. 4,
xxv. 4; N. xxxiv. 1; G. xn. 2;
Plin.; sing. T. xxxvn. 4.

Germania, J. lviii. 1; A. xxm. l;
T. vii. 3, xvi. 1, xvn. 1, xvni. 1,
xx., xxv. 1 ; Cal. 1. 1, rv., xix. 3,
li. 3; CI. ix. 1; G. vm. 1, xi.;
V. IV. 1 ; Tit. IV. 1 : D. XVI. 1 ;
Inferior, Vit. vn. 1; Superior,
G. xvi. 2 ; D. vi. 2 (cf . G. vi. 2 :
Vit. vm. 2).

German iae, D. n. 1.

Germaniciani, T. xxv. 2; G. xx. 1.
The soldiers of the array in
Germany.

Germanicianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Digitized by

INDEX

Germania: exercitus, O. vm. 1;
V. vi. 2.

Germanicus, -a, -urn, adj. from
Germania: helium, T. ix. 1, 2;
CI. I. 2; N. 4, 1; bella, A. xx.;
earpedtiio, Cal. XLIII. ; gens, CI.
xxiv. 3; legumes, V. vi. 4; re*,
Vit. ix.; *erww>, Cal. xlvii.;
victoria, V. n. 3.
Germanicus Caesar, A. xxxiv. 2,
lxiv. 1, ci. 2; T. xv. 2, xxv. 2,
3, xxxix., lii. 1, 2, 3, liv. 1,
lv. lxi. 1, lxxvi. ; Cal. i. 1, n.,
in. 1, vi., 1, vra. 2, 3, 4 (bis) %
xiii., xlviii.; CI. i. 6, vii.,
xxvi. 3, xxix. 1; N. v. 2; O.
I. 3; Vit. n. 3. Son of Drusus
and brother of Claudius.
Germanicus, see Britannicus,
Claudius, Domitianus, Drusus,
Vitellius.
Germanicus mensis, Cal. xv. 2;

D. XIII. 3.
Germanus, see Germanh
Geryonis oraculum, T. xiv. 3.
Gesoriacum, CI. xvn. 2. A town
of Belgic Gaul on the Fretum
Gallicum (English Channel), also
called Bononia; modern Bou-
logne-sur-mer.
Getae, A. Lxm. 2. A Thracian
people on the southern bank of
the Danube, which separated
them from the Dacians.
gigantum ossa, A. Lxxn. 3. Bones
of huge sea-monsters, collected
by Augustus.
Glabrio, see AciliiiB.
gladiator, a professional fighter,
trained for contests in the
amphitheatre and elsewhere .
The gladiatores had special
names according to their
armour and equipment; for
full details see Friedlander,
Roman Life and Manners,
Eng. trans., iv. pp. 171 ff . The
following are mentioned by
Suetonius :
essedarii, who fought from Gallic
chariots (exsedae) : Cal. xxxv.
3; CI. xxi. 5.
meridiani, see note on Claud,
xxxiv. 2.

M M

murm Uloms, who fought with
the Thraeees and with the
retiarii. They derived their
name from a kind of Ash
XfLopfivpos or fiop/bivAof), an
image of which they wore as
a device on their helmets.
Little or nothing is known
about their armour : Cal.
xxxil. 2, IV. 2; N. XXX. 2;
D. x. 1.

oplomachi, heavy armed gladi-
ators; according to Lipsius, a
later name 'for the Samnites,
derived from their large shield
(on\ov) : Cal. xxxv. 2.

paegniarii, Cal. xxvi. 5 (see note)

retiarii, " pet-fighters," who were
lightly armed and fought with
uncovered heads. They car-,
ried a net, in which they tried
to entangle their opponents,
and a trident and dagger, with
which they slew them, if
successful : Cal. XXX. 3 ; CI.
xxxiv. If

secutores, the usual opponents of
the retiarii. They were armed
with a sword, a shield, one
greave, and a visored helmet :
Cal. xxx. 3.

Thraeees, heavily armed gladi-
ators, but distinguished from
the oplomachi by the small
Thracian buckler (parma) in
place of the large shield. They
wore greaves on both legs, a
visored helmet, and a sleeve
on the right arm, and carried
a short curved or bent sword
(sica). They fought with one
another, with the oplomachi,
and with the murmillones :
Cal. xxxv. 2, Liv. 1, lv. 2; .
Tit. vm. 2 ; D. X. 1.
Glycias, T. II. 2.
Glyco, A. xi. A physician.
Gnipho, see Antonius.
Gracchi, T. III. 2. The celebrated

tribunes, Tiberius and Gaius

Gracchus.
Graecanicus, -a, -um, adj. from

Graecia : toga, D. iv. 4.
Graece, adv. from Graecus : T.

529

Digitized by

INDEX

lxxi.; Cal. xxxix. 1, xlii. 1;

N. vn. 2, xxxix. 2; Tit. m. 2;

D. iv. 4, xiii. 2; Gr. vn.; Rh. I.
Graecia, J. xxvm. J.; T. xlix. 2;

Cal. XXII. 2; CI. XVI. 2 (pro-

vincia) ; N. xxv. 1, xxvni. 2,

xxxiv. 4, liii.; Ter. I., m., v.;

Verg. 35.
fcraeci, J. Lli. 2, Lxvni. 4; A.

xcvm. 3; T. xlvi. ; Cal. xxix. 2;

N. XXII. 3 ; Gr. I., iv. (bis) ; Rh. I.

(Ms); Ter. iv., v.; semigraeci,

Gr. iv.

Graeculi, T. xi. 1, lvl; sing., CI.
XV. 4. Diminutive of Graecus,
with a contemptuous or patron-
izing force.

Graecus, -a, -urn, adj. to Graecia :
appellatione, Rh. I.; bibliotheca,
J. xliv. 2; A. xxix. 3; certamen,
A. XLV. 2 note) ; c/t«n*, A. XL.
3 ; comoediae, Cal. in. 2 ; CI. XI. 2 ;
consuetudine, Gr. iv. ; disciplinae,
A. lxxxix. i ; epistula, CI. xxv. 3 ;
eloquentiae, Rh. v.; exercitationi-
bus, Rh. II.; facundia, Cal. XX.;
0enu«, A. xxxi. 1 ; grammaticum,
Gr. XX.; habitus, A. xcvm. 3;
historiae, CI. xlii. 2; iwcriptio,
N. XLV. 2 ; Kalendae, A. lxxxvii.
1; litterae, J. lxxxi. 1; Gr. X.;
tno«, N. XII. 3 ; poemata, T. lxx. 2 ;
proverbium, T. xxxvill.; N. xx.
1, XXXIII. 1; pugiles, A. XLV. 2;
rhetores, V. xvm. ; re«, Verg. 21 ;
sermo, A. xcvm. 3; T. lxxi. 1;
N. XX. 2; studia, CI. XLII. 1;
uerfta, J. lxxxi. 1, tKr«u«, T.
liii. 1 ; V. xxiii. 1 ; vox, CI. xliii.

Grains, -a, -um : seriptores, Verg. 30.

Hadriaticum mare, T. xvi. 2. The

Adriatic Sea.

Hadrumetum, V. iv. 3. A city of
northern Africa, near Carthage.

Halosis liii, N. xxxvill. 2. " The
Sack of Troy," a poem, perhaps
of his own composition, sung
by Nero during the burning of
Rome.

Halotus, CI. xliv. 2 ; G. xv. 2 (bit),
Hannibal, T. II. 1 ; 1). X. 3.
Harpocras, CI. xxvni.

Hasdrubal, X. n. 1. Brother of

Hannibal.
Haterius, Q., T. xxix.; cf. xxvn.
Heautontimoreumenos, Ter. m.

" The Self-tormenter," a comedy

of Terence.
Hector, T. Ln. 2; N. xxn. 1.
Hecuba, T. lxx. 3. Wife of

Hector.

Hecyra, Ter. n. "The Mother-
in-law," a comedy of Terence.

Hekatebeletes, N. xxxix. 2. " The
Far-darter," an epithet of Apollo.

Helius, N. xxiii. 1. A freedman.

Hellespontus, J. Lxm.: Cal. xrx. 3.
The Hellespont, the narrow
strait connecting the Aegean
Sea and the Propontis (sea of
Marmora).

Helvetii, V. I. 3. A Gallic people.

Helvidius Priscus, V. XV. ; D. x. 3 ;
filius, D. X. 3.

Helvius Cinna, J. LTJ. 3, lxxxv.;
Gr. xi. •

Hercules, J. vn. 1 (Gadibus), lvi. 7 ;
A. XXIX. 6 (aedes Herculis
Musarum), LXxn. 2 (Tifmri);
Cal. VIII. 2 (Tiburi) ; N. XXI. 3 (tn-
8anum t a tragedy sung by Nero),
liii. (facta) ; V. xn.; Verg. 46.

Herennhis, Verg. 44.

Hermaeum, CI. X. 1.

Hernias, see Laelius.

Hermogenes Taraensfa, D. X. 1.

heroides, N. xxi. 3.

h^rpum arma, A. LXxn. 3. Ancient
armour, the " arms of the heroes,"
collected by Augustus.

Hicmpsal, J. lxxi.

Hieria, see Plotia.

Hierosolyma, A. xcin.; N. XL. 2;
Tit. v. 2. Jerusalem.

Hilario, A. ci. 1. A freedman of
Augustus.

Hipparchus, V. xm.

Hirtius, A., J. lvi. 1, 3; A. x. 3,
XI. (bis), LXVHI.; T. v.; Rh. I.
One of Caesar's generals, who
wrote the eighth book of the
Gallic War. He was slain at
Mutina in 43 B.C., while consul.

Hispani, J. lxxxvi. 4.

Hispania, J. ix. 3, xxxiv. 2, xxxv.
2, XXX VI., LIV. 1, LV. 4, LXXI. ; A.

530

Digitized by

INDEX

Lxvra.; T. n. 1, xli.; G. in. 1,

2, ix. 2. xiv. 2, xvi. 2, xxn.,
xxin. ; Tarraconensis, G. vm. 1 ;
Ulterior, J,vn. 1, xvm. 1, lvi. 5.

Hispaniae, J. xxviii. 1 ; A vm. 1,
2; Tk xlix. 2; N. xlii. 1; G.
xn. 1. The Spanish provinces.

Hispanicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Hispania: verbo, A. lxxxii. 2;
freto, Vit. xm. 2.

Hispaniensis, -e, adj. from His-
pania : triumphum, J. xxxvii. 1 ;
victoriam, J. xxxvra. 2; belli,
J. lvi. 1 ; exereUu, V. vi. 2.

ITispanus, -a, -um, acf;*. to His-
pania, Gr. xx.

Historia, see Cornelius Alexander.

Histria^ D. xn. 2. A country at
the north-eastern end of the
Adriatic Sea, south of Tergeste
(Trieste).

Homericus, -a, -um, adj. from
Homerus: versus, T. xxi. 6;
CI. xlii. 1; cf. A. lxv. 4; Cal.
xxn. 1, 4; CI. xlh. 1; N. xlix.
3 ; G. xx. 2 ; V. xxni. 1 ; D. xn.

3, xvm. 2.

Homerius, -a, -um, adj. . from

Homerus : seyphi, N. XLvri. 1.
Homerus, Cal. xxxrv. 2; N. XLvn.

1; Verg. 21, 43, 46 (bis).
Horatius Flaccus, Q., Gr. IX.;

Hor. {quater).
Hor talus, T. XLvn. Grandson of

Q. Hortensius.
Hortensianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Hortensius: aedes, A. lxxh. 1.
Hortensius, Q., T. XLvn. The

celebrated orator of the time of

Cicero.

Hortulorum (collis), N. l. (see note).

Hyginus, see Julius.

Hylas, A. XL v. 4. An actor of

pantomimes.
Hyle, Gr. x:(se* note).

Iaccus, see Pescennius.
Ianiculum, Vit. I. 3. A long hill

east of Rome across the Tiber;

included in the modern city,

but outside the Aurelian Wall.
Ianuariae Kalendae, J. XL. 2.
Ianus : geminus, N. xm. 2 ; Quiri-

nus, A. xxn.; marmoreus, A.

xxxi. 5; plur. D. xm. 2. An
old Italic deity, represented with
two faces fronting in opposite
directions' also used for his
temple, which was open in time
of war and closed in time of
peace; and in general for an
arch.

Icarus, N. xn. 2. Son of Daedalus,
witli whom he attempted to fly
from Crete across the Aegean
Sea. Since he flew too high,
the«sun melted the wax with
which his wings were held
together. He fell into that
part of the Aegean which was
called from him the Icarian Sea,
and was drowned.

Icelus Ifarcianus, N. xlix. 4; G.
xiv. 2, xxn. A freedman of
the emperor Galba.

Idaeus, -a, -um, adj. from Ida, a
mountain near Troy : Mater
deum, T. n. 3.

Idus, the fifteenth of March, May,
July, and October, and the
thirteenth of the other months;
J. LXXX. 4, LXXXI. 2, LXXXIII.;
A. xv., xxxv. 3; Cal. lvii. 2;
V. vi. 3; Verg. 2; Hor.

Herda, J. lxxv. 2, a town of north-
eastern Spain.

Ilias, Verg. 30.

Ilienses, T. Lll. 2 ; CI. xxv. 3 (bis) ;

N. vn. 2. The people of Ilium. *
Ilium, J. lxxix. 3; N. xxxviii. 2.

Another name for Troy.
Illyricum, J. xxn. 1, xxix. 2,

xxxvi. (bis); A. xxi. 1, xxv. 2,

xcvii. 3; T. xiv. 3, xvi. 1, 2,

xvn. 1, xxi. 1, xxv. 1; O. 1, 2.

A country on the eastern shore of

the Adriatic Sea, opposite Italy.
Ulyricus, -a, -um, adj. to Illyricum :

exercitus, A. xix. 2.
Imperator, as a praenomen, J.

lxxvi. 1 ; T. xxvi. 2; CI. xn. 1.
Inalpinus, -a, -um, adj. from in,

Alpes : gentes, A. xxi. 1.
Incendium, N. xi. 2. " The Fire,"

a fabula togata, or Roman play,

of Afranius.
Incitqtus, Cal. LV. 3. The name

of a horse ; see note.

53i

Digitized by

INDEX

Indi, A. XXI. 3. The people of
India.

Indignatio, Gr. XI. A work of

Valerius Cato.
Ineptiae, Gr. xxi. Title of a book

of Gaius Melissus.
Inferum mare, A. xlix. 1. "The

Lower Sea," a term applied to

the Tyrrhenian (Tuscan) Sea;

cf. Superum mare.
Invictus, T. xvn. 2. A surname

which the senate proposed to

confer on Tiberius,
loci, Gr. xxi. The title of a book

of Gaius Melissus.
Ionis villa, T. lxv. 2. The name

of a villa at Capreae (Capri).
Iosephus, V. V. 6.
Isaurfcus, see Servilius.
Isiacus, D. 1. 2. A priest of Isis.
Isidorus, N. XXXIX. 3. A cynic

philosopher.
Isis, O. xn. 1. An Egyptian deity,

whose worship was popular at

Rome in the days of the Empire.
Isthmia (sc. certamina), N. xxiv.

2. The Isthmian games, cele-
brated every five years at Corinth.

Isthmus, J. xliv. 3; Cal. xxi.; N.

xix. 2, xxxvu. 3. The Isthmus

of Corinth. ,
Italiar, J. xxvm. 1, xxxvin. 2,

XLII. 1, LIV. 2, LXXV. 4, LXXIX.

3, lxxxi. 1; A. xiii. 3, xvn. 2,

• 3, XLV. 4, XLVI., LIX.; T. II. 2,

viii., xvi. 2, xxxvu. 1; Cal.

xvi. 3; CI. xvi. 2, xxiii. 2, xxv.

2; N. xxxi. 3, xxxix. 3; Vit.

XIV. 4 ; V. VII. 1 ; Tit. V. 3 ; D. VII.

2, X. 3; Kh. VI.; Hor.; Verg. 39.
Italici, V. IX. 2; Ter. I.
Italicus, -a, -urn, adj. from Italia :

tirones, N. xix. 2.
I talus, -a, -um, adj. to Italia: ret,

Hor.

Iuba, J. XXXV. 2, LIX., LXVI., LXXI.

Juba I, king of Numidia and a
part of Mauretania. He sided with
Pompey against Julius Caesar.
Iuba, Cal. xxvi. 1. Juba II, son
of the above, brought by Julius
Caesar to Rome, where he gained
fame as a writer; afterwards
restored to his kingdom. "

532

Iudaea, A. xcm. ; 01. xxvin. ; 0.
xxra. ; v. iv. 6, v. 6. ; Tit. iv.

ludae'i, J. lxxxiv. 5-; T. xxxvi. ;

CI. xxv. 4; V. IV. 5, viii. 1;

sing. A lxxvi. 2. •
Iudaicus, -a, -um, adj. from Iudaea

exerciius, Vit. xv. 1, V. vi. 3;

fiscus, D. XII. 2; ritus, T. xxxvi.;

triumphus, D. II. 1 ; vita, D. xil. 2.
Iugurtha, J. XI. King of Numidia.

He waged war with the Romans

from 112 to 106 B.C., when he

was conquered by Marius.
Iulia, J. VI. 1 (bis). Aunt of Julius

Caesar and wife of Marius.
Iulia, J. lxxiv. 2; A. iv. 1, vni. 1.

Sister of Julius Caesar. »
Iulia, J. i. 1, xxi., lxxxiv. 1; A.

xov. Daughter of Julius Caesar.
Iulia, A. XIX. 2, LXHI. 1 (bis) 2,

lxiv. 1, lxv. 1, ci. 3; T. vn. 2

(Ms), 3, XI. 4, L. 1; Cal. vil. 1,

xxiii. 1. Daughter of Augustus.
Iulia, A. LXIV. 1 (bis), LXV. 1, 4.

LXXII. 3, ci. 3. Granddaughter

of Augustus.
Iulia, CI. xxix. 1. Granddaughter

of Tiberius.
Iulia, D. xvn. 3. Daughter of

Titus.

Iulia Augusta, see Livia Drusilla.

Iulia Drusilla, Cal. vil., XXIV. 1, 2;
CI. XXIX. 1. Sister of Caligula.

Iulia Drusilla, Cal. xxv. 4. Daugh-
ter of Caligula.

Iulia Livilla, Cal. vn.; CI. xxix. 1.
Daughter of Germanicus.

Iuliae, A. lxv. 1, 4, ci. 3; CI.
xxix. 1.

Iulianus, -a, -um, adj. from Iulius

(Caesar) : milites, J. LXXV. 2.
Iulii, J. VI. 1.

Iulius. -a, -um, adj. to Iuliu?:
basilica, Cal. xxxvti. 1 ; Pass ,
curia, Cal. LX. ; famiiia, CI. II. I;
lex, J. lxxxi. 1; A. iv. 1; V
xxxili. 2; portus, A. XVI. 1.

Iulius Caesar, C, the Dictator:
Caesar, J. I. 3, IX. 2 (bis), X. 1
(bis), 2, xvn. 2, xx. 2 (ten.
xxvm. 3 (bis), xxix. 1, xxx. :».
XXXII., XLIX. 1, 4 (quater), L. 2.
lii. 2 (ter), 3, liu., lv. 1, J, |

Digitized by

INDEX

lvi. 1, 4, lxxix. 2, 3 (rex),

LXXX. 2, 3, LXXXI. 1, 2, LXXXII.
2, lxxxv. (bis), LXXXVI. 1,
lxxxviii., lxxxix.; A. vin. 1.

2, X. 1, 2, XIII. 1, XVII. 5, XXXV.

I, XLV. 1, LXVIH., XCIV. 9, 11,

xcv. (bis); T. iv. 1; N. xxxvn.
1: Gr. xx.; Rh. I.; Luc; Caesar
dictator, J. xli. 2; CI. xli. 2;
Oaius Caesar, J. XXX. 4 ; A. IV. 1,
xxxi. 5, xciv. 9; T. iv. 1; N.

II. 2; .Ter. v.; Iulius Caesar,
G. ill. 2: Iulius, J. XX. 2; ZHwi*
Caesar, A. xcvi. 1 ; Divus fulius,
A. H. 1, xv., xvn. 5, xxxi. 2,
xciv. 11, o. 3; Cal. xxxvni. 1;
CI. xvu. 1, xx. 1; Vit. vin. 1;
V. v. 7; Gr. vii; Rh. I.

(Iulius) mensis, J. lxxvi. 1.
Iulius Hyginus, C, Gr. XX.
Iulius Ma rath us, A. LXXIX. 2,

XCIV. 3.
Iulius Modestus, Gr. xx.
Iulius Montanus, Verg. 29.
Iulius Saturninus, A. xxvil. 2.
Iulius Vindex, N. XL. 1, xli. 1, 2,

xlv. 2, xlvi. 3; G. ix. 2, xi.,

xvi. 2.
Iulius, see Anton i us.
Iuuia Calvina, V. xxm. 4.
Iunia Claudilla, Cal. XII. 1, 2.
Iunius Novatus, A. LI. 1.
Iunius Rusticus, D. x. 3.
(Iunius) Silanus, D., J. XIV. 1.
(Iunius) Silanus, Appius, CI. XXIX.

1, xxxvn. 2 (ter).

(Iunius) Silanus, L., CI. XXIV. 3,

XXVII. 2, XXIX. 1, 2.
(Iunius) Silanus, M., Cal. XII. 1,

XXIII. 3 (bis).
Iuno, D. IV. 4.

Iuppiter, J. lxxxi. 3; A. lxx. 1,
xciv. 8, 9; Cal. xxxm. (simula-
crum), lvii. 1 (simulacrum Olym-
piae), LVII. 1, 3, LVIII. 2 ; G. II, IX.

2, XII. 1 ; D. iv. 4, xv. 3 ; Optimus
Maximus, J. LXXIX. 2; A.
XXIII. 2, XCIV. 6, 8; Vit. xv. 3;
V. v. 7; Capitolinu8, J. lxxxiv.
3; A. XXVI. 3, XXX. 2, XCI, 2,
XCIV. 8; T. LIU. 2; Cal. xxn. 4;
N. X. 2; D. IV. 4, VI. 1, vin. 5;
Casinus, N. XXII. 3; Custos, D.
v.; Latiaris, Cal. xxu. 2;

Olympius, A. lx.; Cal. xxn. 2;
Tonans, A. XXIX. 1, 3, XCI. 2
(bis); Tragoedus, A. lvii. 1.
luveualis, -e, adj. from iuvenis :
dies, Cal. xvu. 2; a day added
to the Saturnalia by Caligula;
ludi, N. XI. 1; games instituted
by Nero to commemorate the
first shaving of his beard.

» Kalendab, the first day of the
month.

Labeo, see Antistius, Fabius.

Laberius, D., J. XXXIX. 2. A
celebrated Roman writer of
mimes (105-43 B.C.).

Labienus, T., Cal. xvi. 1.

Lacedaemonii, T. VI. 2. The
people of Lacedaemon (Sparta).

Lacedaemonius, -a, -um, adj. from
Lacedaemon : medici, Pers.
• Laches, V. XXIII. 1.

Laco, see Cornelius.

Laclius Archelaus, Gr. n. (bis).

Laelius Hernias, Gr. X. (bis).

Laclius (Sapiens), C, Ter. I. (ter),
II, III. (ter), iv., v. A friend of
the younger Scipio and a distin-
guished patron of literature;
consul in 190 B.C.

Laetorius, C, A. V.

Laetus, see Suetonius.

Laevius Melissa, Gr. III.

Lamia, see Aelius.

Lamianus, -a, -um, adj. from
Lamia : horti, Cal. lix. Gardens
on the Appiun Way, near Aricia.

Lam pad io, see Octavius.

Lanuvinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Lanuvium : Gr. ii.

Lanuvium, A. LXXH. 2. An ancient
city of Latium, south of Mons
Albanus.

Laodiceni, T. vin. The people of
Laodicea, a city of Phrygia on
the river Lycus.

Lares, N. xlvi. 2 ; Vit. H. 5 ;
cubiculi, A. vn. 1; D. XVII. 2;
compitales, A. XXXI. 4 ; famUiares,-
Cal. v. Tutelary deities of a
house or city, worshipped at the
hearth or at the cross-roads.

Latiaris, see Juppiter. The tute-

533

Digitized by

INDEX

lary deity of the Latin League,
with a temple on the summit of
Mons Albanus (Monte Cavo).

Latine, A. lxxxix. 1; T. lxxi.;
CI. xlii. 1; N. vii. 2, xxxix. 2;
Tit. in. 2; D. iv. 4; Gr. i., vn.,
xvi. ; Rh. i., n. Adv. from Latinus.

Latinitas, A. xlvu (see note).

Latinus. -a, -urn, adj. from Latium,
meaning "of Latium," or
" Latin " in various senses :
bibliotheca, J. XLIV. 2; A. XXIX.
3; carmen, N. XII. 3; coloniae,
J. vin. ; condicio, V. in. ; eloquen-
tiae, Rh. v.; facundia, Cal. xx.;
feriae, the Latin Festival, cele-
brated in April at the Alban
Mount in houour of Jupiter
Latiaris, J. lxxix. 1; CI. iv. 3;
N. vii. 2; genus, A. xxxi. 1;
fframmaticu8, Gr. x.; (litteris),
Gr. x. ; oratio, T. lxx. 1 ; pugiles,
A. xlv. 2; res, Verg. 21 ; rhetores,
V. xvin. ; rhetora8, Rh. I.; Siren,
Gr. XI.; sermo, Ci. I. 2, xvi. 2;
Gr. vii., xxii.; (verbum), Gr.
xxn.; cf. Verg. 43; vox, Ter. v;
via, D. XVII. 3, a road branching
off to the eastward from the via
Appia half a mile south of the
porta Capena, and joining it again
at Casilenum, a town near Capua.
It passed through , the A lire li an
wall by the porta Latina.

Latium, Vit. I, 2.

Latius, -a, -um, adj. to Latium :
historiae, Verg. 38.

LaUreolus, Cal. Lvn. 4 (see note).
The name of a mime, or farce.

Lavicanum (so. praedium), J.
lxxxiii. 1. An estate of Julius
Caesar's at Lavicum (Labicum),
a town of Latium east of Rome.

Lenaeus, see Pompeius.

Lentulus, Cn., G. IV. 1. Consul
in 3 B.C.

Lentulus Augur, Cn., T. xlix. 1.

Lentulus Gaetulicus, Cn., Cal.
VIII. 1, 2 ; CI. IX. 1 ; G. VI. 2 (bis).

Leontinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Leontini, a city of eastern
Sicily : campus, Rh. v.

Lepida, T. xlix. 1. Wife of
Quirinus.

534

Lepida, G. v. 1 (bis). Wife of
Galba; see also Aemilia and
Domitia.

Lepidus, see Aemilius and Domitius.
Leptinus, see Furius.
Leucadia, Ter v.

Liber, A. xciv. 5. The Italic god
identified with the Greek Diony-
sus, god of wine; the name is
used of the Greek Dionysus.

Liberalis, see Flavius and Salvius.

Libertas, A. xxrx. 5, Liberty
worshipped as a goddess.

Libitina, N. xxxix. 1 (see note).

Libo, see Scribonius.

liburnica (sc. navis), A. xvn. 3;
Cal. xxxvn. 2 (see note); N.
xxxiv. 2.

Licinianus, see Calpurnius Piso
Frugi.

Licinius, Ter. v.

Licinius Calvus, C, J. XLTX. 1,
Lxxin.; A. lxxii. 1. A cele-
brated Roman orator and poet,
a contemporary of Catullus and
often mentioned with him by the
Romans.

Licinius Crassus, L., N. u. 2; Rh.l.
(Licinius) Crassus, M., J. ix. 1

(bis), 2, xix. 2, xxi., xxiv. 1;

L. 1 ; A. xxi. 3; T. rx. 1 ; Verg. 2.

Triumvir with Caesar and Pom-

pey.

(Licinius) Crassus Frugi, M., CI.
xvn. 3.

Licinius Mucianus, V. VI. 4, xm.
Licinus, A. lxvii. 1. A freedmaii.

See also Clod ins.
Liguria, CI. xvn. 2. A district of

Cisalpine Gaul, about the modern

city of Genoa.
Livia Drusilla, A. Lxn. 2; T. IV. 3;

DrusiUa, A. lxix. 2; Livia, A.

xxix. 4, XL. 3, Lxra. 1, lxix. 1,

lxxxiv. 2, xcrx. 1 (bis), ci. 2;

T. vi. 2, xrv. 2, xxn., l. 2 (bis);

Cal. VII.; CI. I. 1, IV. 1, 4, 6

XI. 2; G. I.; Livia Augusta

Cal. x. 1, xv. 2, xxin. 2; G. v.

2; O. I. 1; fulia Augusta, Cal.

xvi. 3; Augusta, CI. III. 2, XI. 2.
Livia Medullina Camilla, CI. XXVI.

Livia Ocellina, G. m. 4, it. 1.

Digitized by

INDEX

Livia Orestilla, Cal. xxv. 1.

Livilla, T. LXII. 1; CI. I. 6, in. 2.
Daughter of Dmsus.

Livilla, Cal. vil. Daughter of
Germanicus; see Iulia.

Livii, T. m. 1 ; Livii Drusi, T. in.
1 ; cf . Drusus.

Livius (Andronicus), L., Gr. I. A
Greek slave from Tarentum,
whose comedy and tragedy, put
upon the stage in 240 B.C., mark
the beginning of Roman literary
history.

Livius, T. Cal. xxxiv. 2; CI. xu.
1 ; D. X. 3. Livy, the celebrated
Roman historian (59 B.C.-17

A. D.).

Livius Drusus, T. in. 2. The first
of the name.

(Livius) Drusus, T. vn. 1. Grand-
father of Tiberius.

Livius Salinator (M.), T. III. 1, 2.
Consul in 219 B.C. and with L.
Aemilius Paul us victor over the
Illyriaus. He was found guilty
by the people of having unfairly
divided the booty among the
soldiers and condemned - r but he
was made consul again in 207

B. C., when with C. Claudius Nero
he defeated Hasdrub&l at the
Metaurus river, and censor in
204.

Livius mensis, T. xxvi. 2.

Locri (Epizephyrii), A. xvi. 3. A

town in the country of the Bruttii

in southern Italy.
Lollia, J. L. 1.

Lollia Paulina, Cal. xxv. 2; CI.
xx vi. 3.

Lolliauus, -a, -urn, adj. from
Lollius : clade8, A. xxm. 1 (bis).

Lollius, M., T. xn. 2, xui. 2.

Longina, see Domitia.

Longinus, see Cassius.

Luca, J. xxi v. 1. A city of nor-
thern Etruria, modern Lucca.

Luc anus, M. Annaeus, Luc, Pers.
(bis) ; see also Terentius.

Lucceius, L., J . XIX. (bis).

Lucilius, C. Gr. n., xiv. (book of
Curtius Nicias on) ; Pers. The
famous Roman satirist (163-103
B.C.). #

Lucretius, Verg. 6. The great
Roman poet (c. 94-55 B.C.),
author of the De Rerum Natura.

Lucretius, Q., Verg. 35.

Lucrinus lacus, A. xvi. 1. A small
lake near the scacoast of Cam-
pania in the neighbourhood of
Baiae and Cumae.

Lucullanus, -a, -um, adj. from
Lucullus : villa, T. Lxxm. 1.

Luculleus, -a, -um, adj. from
Lucullus : lanceae, D. x. 3.

Lucullus, L., J. xx. 4. A con-
temporary of Caesar, famous for
his victories over Mitliridates and
later for liis luxury.

Lucullus, see Sallustius.

Lucusta, N. XXX. 2, 3, XLVH. 1.

Lugdunum, Cal. xvii. 1, xx. ;
CI. II. 1. A prominent city at
the confluence of the Rhone and
the Arar (Aar), the modern
Lyons.

Lunensis, -e, adj. from Luna, a
city in nortliern Etruria, famous
for its marble : ara, N. L.

Lupercale sacrum, A. xxxi. 4.
Another name for the Luper-
calia.

Lupercalia, lxxix. 2; A. xxxi. 4.
An ancient Roman festival of
obscure origin, celebrated in
February. The name of the
festival was connected with the
Lupercal, the cave at the south-
west corner of the Palatine hill
and with a mythical Lupercus,
but the god in whose honour it
was celebrated was unknown to
the Romans themselves. As a
part of the ceremony the
Luperci, girt with the skins of
sacrificed goats and with strips
of the skins in their hands, ran
about the base of the Palatine,
striking the women whom they
met, or who put themselves in
their way, that they might
"shake on* their sterile curse."
(Shaks. Julius Caesar, 1. 2. 9).

Luperci, J. lxxvi. 1. Two colleges
of priests for the celebration of
the Lupercalia, q.v.

Lurco, see Aufldius.

535

Digitized by

INDEX

Luscio, D. I. 1. The name of a

poem of Nero.
Lusitani, J. liv. 1 ; G. in. 2. The

people of Lusitania.
Lusitania, O. in. 2. A country in

the western part of the Spanish

peninsula, modern Portugal.
Lutatius Daphnis, Gr. in.
Lycia, A. lxv. 1; V. vm. 4. A

district of south-western Asia

Minor.

Lycii, CI. xxv. 3. The inhabitants

of Lycia.
Lye ius, A. XLIII. 3.
Lydia, Gr. xi. (ter). A poem of

Valerius Cato.

Macbdonbs, Cal. lvii. 4. The

people of Macedonia.
Macedonia, J. xxxv. 1; A. in. 1,

iv. 1 ; T. xiv. 3, xvi. 2; CI. xxv.

3; Gr. IX. A country north of

Greece, at the north-eastern end

of the Aegean Sea.
Macer, see Clod ius and Pompeius.
Macro, Cal. XII. 2 {bis), xxm. 2,

xxvi. 1. Prefect of the prae-
torian guard.
Maecenas, A. LXVI. 3, LXXH. 2,

lxxxvi. 2 ; Gr. xxi. ; Hor. (sexies) ;

Verg. 20, 27, 37, 44.
Maecenatianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Maecenas : hortos, T. XV. 1 ; Verg.

13; tune, N. xxxvill.2(*ecnote).
Maecius, D. XX.

Maenianum, Cal. xvill. 3. The
projecting balcouy of a house,
named from its originator, one
Maenius; commonly used in the
plural.

Magi, N. xxxiv. 4. A body of

learned men among the Persians ;

also used generally in the sense

of " magicians."
Magnes, Pers., of Magnesia, a city

in western Asia Minor (Lydia),

on the river Hermus.
Magnus, see Alexander, Mithridates,

Pompeius.
Mago, D. x. 3. The name of a

brother of Hannibal, applied to a

slave.
Magus, Verg. 1,

536

Mallia, A. lxx. 1 (see note).

Mallonia, T. XL v.

Mallotes, Gr. n. An inhabitant

of Mallos, a city of Cilicia.
Malum Punicum, ad, D. I. 1; see

note.

Mamercus, see Aemilius.
Mamurra^ J. lxxiii. A Roman

knight of Formiae; see Catullus

29 3 .

Manes, dii, T. lxxv. 1 ; Cal. in. 2 ;
N. xxxiv. 4; O. vii. 2. The
deified shades of the dead.

Mantua, Verg. 2, 36. A city of
Cisalpine Gaul on the Mincius,
modern Mantua.

Mantuanus, -a, -um, adj. from
Mantua : Verg. 1.

Marathus, see Julius.

Marcellae, A. lxhi. 1.

Marcelli, A. XXIX. 4, xliii. 5.

Marcellianus, -a, -um, adj. from
Marcellus : theatrum, V. XIX. 1.

Marcellus, see Asinius, Claudius,
Pomponius.

Marcellus, C, J. xxix. 1.

Marcellus, C, xxvii. 1. Husband
of Ocjavia.

Marcellus, M., A. xxix. 4, XLUI. 5,
Lxni. 1, lxvi. 3; T. Vi. 4, x. 1;
Verg. 312. Son of Octavia.

Marcia Furnilla, Tit. iv. 2.

Marcianus, see 1 eel us.

Marcii Reges, J. vi. 1.

Marcius, Ancus, J. vi. 1. Fourth
king of Rome.

Marcius Censorinus, C, Hor. Con-
sul in 9 B.C.

Marcius Philippus, A. vm. 2, xxix.
5. Stepfather of Augustus, con-
sul in 56 n.O.

Marii, J. I. 3.

Marius, C, J. XI; T. LIX. 2. The

famous popular - leader, seven

times consul.
Marius, P., Pers.
Maro, see Vergilius.
Marobodus, T. xxxvn. 4.
Mars, A. I. (bis), xvm. 2, XXIX. 1,

2; Vit. x. 3 (in colonia Agrippi-

nensi); V. v. 2; Verg. 34, 42;

Martis aedes, Cal. xliv. 2; CI.

XIII. 1, xxxili. 1 ; delubrum, Vit.

vn^. 1; templum, J. xliv. 1;

Digitized by

INDEX

vUla, Ter. v., Mars Ultor, A. xxi.

1, xxix. 1 ; Cal. xxiv. 3.
Marsi, CI. XX. 1. A warlike people

of central Italy, near lake Fucinus .
Marsicus, -a, -um, adj. from

Marsi : helium, A. xxjii. 2. The

Social War, 90-89 B.C., in which

the Marsi played a prominent

part.

Marsus, see Domitius.

Martiae Idus, J. lxxxviii. ; see Idus.

Martial is, -e, adj. from Mars : ludi.
CI. iv. 1, 3; games in honour of
Mars Ultor, whose temple was
dedicated August 1, 2 B.C.

Martius campus, J. xxxix. 3,
lxxxiv. 1 ; CI. xxi. 6 ; N. xn. 1 ;
xxvn. 2; Vit. XI. 2; campus
Martius, A. xliii. 1, xcvn. 1;
Cal. xxxrv. 1; CI. I. 3; N. l.?
Campus, J. lxxx. 4, lxxxiv. 1 ;
A. o. 3.

Marullus, see Epidius.

Masgaba, A. xcvm. 4 (ter).
Ihm gives this name as Masga-
bas, but it occurs only in the
oblique cases, and the analogy of
other Numidian names (see Livy,
45. 13), such as Iuguxtha, Mnsin-
issa, and the like, as well as
Mazgaba in C.I.L. iv. 1917, point
to Masgaba.

Masintlia, J. lxxi.

Massilia, J. xxxiv. 2, Lxvni. 4;
A. LXV. 1; CI. xvn. 2. A city
in the southern part of Gaul;
modem Marseilles.

Massilienses, N. H. 3. The inhabi-
tants of Massilia.

Mater deum, A. lxvih.: O. vm. 3;
Idaea, T. n. 3. The Great
Mother of the Gods, Cybele,
worshipped near Mount Ida in the
Troad.

Matianus, -a, -um, adj. from Matius,
a Roman name : malum, D. xxi.
(see note).

Matius, C, J. LII. 2.

Mauretania, Cal. lv. 1. Modern
Morocco.

Maurus, -a, -um, adj. meaning
" Moorish " ; " of Morocco " :
Eunoe, J. LII. 1; pueros, A.

LXXXIII.

Mausoleum, A. c. 4, 01. 4; Cal. xv.
1 ; N. xlvi. 2 ; Vit. X. 3 ; V. xxill.
4. The Mausoleum of Augustus,
in the northern part of the
Campus Martius, near the Tiber.

Maximi ludi, N. xi. 2.

Maximus, D. xvii. 2. A freedman.

Maximus, see Fabius.

Mazaces, N.'xxx. 3 (see note). A
people of Nuinidia, in northern
Africa.

Mediolanum, A. xx. ; Rh. VI. ;

Verg. 7. A city of northern

Italy ; modern Milan.
Medullina, see Livia.
Megara, Verg. 35. A city of

Megaris in Greece, between

Corinth and Attica.
Meleager, T. xliv. 2. The Aetolian

hero who slew the Calydonian

boar.

meleagrides, Cal. xxn. 3. Guinea-
fowl, named from the sisters of
Meleager, who after his death
were changed into these birds.

Melissa, see Laevius.

Melissus, C, Gr. xxi.; Verg. 16.

Memmius, C, J. xxm. 1, XLIX. 2,
lxxiii. ; Gr. xiv. (bis) ; Ter. in.

Memmius, C, Cal. xxv. 2. Consul
in 30 A.D.

Memphis, Tit. V. 3. A city of
Egypt, on the lower course of
the Nile.

Menander, Ter. n., v. (ter). The
most distinguished writer of the
Athenian New Comedy, born in
342 B.C.

Menas, A. lxxiv. A freedman.

Mendes, A. XCIV. 4. A towa of
Egypt in the Nile delta.

Menecrates, N. XXX. 2. A lyre-
player.

meridianus, see gladiator.

Mero, see Biberius.

Messala, see Valerius.

Messalina, see S tut ilia and Valeria.

Messana, Cal. LI. 1. A city of
north-eastern Sicily, modern
Messina.

Mestrius Florus (Flaurus), V. xxn.
Metellus, see Caecilius.
Mettius Pompusianus, V. XIV. ;
D. X. 3.

53?

Digitized by

INDEX

Mettius Rufus, D. IV. 2.

Mevania, Cal. XLin. A city of
Umbria on the via Flaminia near
the Clitumnus river.

Mida (Midas), Pers. A wealthy king
of Plirygia, whose touch was fabled
to turn everything into gold.
Because he alone did not accept
the decision of Tmolus, who
awarded the prize to Apollo in
a musical contest with Pan,
Apollo changed his ears into
those of an ass. Midas concealed
them from all except the slave
who cut his hair. The latter
dug a hole in the ground and
whispered into it : " King Midas
has ass's ears." A reed grew
up on the spot and betrayed the
secret to the world.

Miletus, Cal. xxi. A city on the
western coast of Asia Minor.

miliarium aureum, 0.vi.(*e« uote).

Milo, J. xxx. 3. The slayer of
Clodius. •

Minerva, Cal. xxv. 4; Vit. xm. 2.
(iroAtovxov, see note) ; D. iv. 4 (bis),
xv. 3.

Minos, T. lxx. 3; G. II. The
famous king of Crete, because of
his integrity made a judge in the
Lower World.

Misenensis, -e, adj. from Miscnum :
ctom, Plin.

Miscnum, A. xlix. 1; T. lxxii. 3,
lxxiv; lxxv. 3; Cal. xm.; N.
XXXI. 3; Verg. 34. A promou-
tory aud town at the northern
end of the Bay of Naples, an
important naval station.

Misenus, Verg. 34.

Mithridates (also Mithradates), J.
IV. 2, XIX. 2 ; N. XXIV. 2 ; Magni,
J. xxxv. 2.

Mithridaticus, -a, -um, adj. from
Mithridates :. hello, T. xxxvu. 3.

Mnester, Cal. xxxvi. 1, lv. 1, Lvn.
4. An actor of pantomimes.

Modestus. see lulius.

Moesia, T. xli.; O. ix. 3; V. VI. 3.
A country north of Thrace and
Macedonia, modern Servia and
Bulgaria ; Moesiae, Vit. XV. 1, the
Moesian provinces.

538

Moesiacus, -a, -um, adj. from
Moesia : exercitus, V. VI. 2.

Molo, see Apollonius.

Montanus, see lulius.

Morbovia, V. xiv. (see note).

Mucia, J. L. 1. Wife of Gnaeus
Pompeius.

Mucianus, see Licinius.

Mummia Achaica, G. in. 4 (bis).
Granddaughter of Catulus.

Mummius, L., G. ill. 4. The
Roman consul who took and
sacked Corinth in 146 B.C.

Munatius Plancus, L., A. vu. 2
xxix. 5 ; T. v. ; CI. xvi. 1 ; N. iv. ,
Rh. VI. (bis). Consul in 42 B.C.

(Munatius) Plancus, L., A. ci. 1.
Consul in 13 A.D.

Munda, A. xcrv. 11. A town of
Spain, the scene of Caesar's final
victory in the Civil War.

Mundensis, • -e, adj. from Munda ;
proclium, J. LVI. 5.

Murena, see Varro.

murmillo, see gladiator.

Musa, see An ton ins.

Musae, Gr. VI. ; see also Hercules.

Musium (Museum), CI. xlii. 2.
An institution at Alexandria for
the advancement of learning and
the support of scholars, contain-
ing a lecture hall, a common
dining-room, cloisters, etc.

Mutina, A. x. 2, lxxvii. A city
of Cisalpine Gaul; modern
Modena.

Mutinensis, -e, adj. from Mutina:
odes, A. xn. ; helium : A. ix. 1,
lxxxiv. 1 ; Rh. 1.

Mylae, A. xvi. 1. A promontory
and town in the north-eastern
part of Sicily, not far from
Messana.

Mytilenae, J. II.; A. lxvi. 3; T.
x. 1. The chief city of Lesbos,
a large island off the western
coast of Asia Minor.

Naevia, see Ennia.

Nacvius(Cn.), Gr. 11.; Ter. V. The

early Roman epic and dramatic

poet (269-199 B.C.).
Nais, see Servilia.

Digitized by

INDEX

Narbo, T. iv. 1. A city of southern *
Gaul; modern Narbonne.

Narcissus, CI. xxvm., xxxvn. 2;
Vit. n. 5; V. iv. 1, 2; Tit. II.
Freedman of Claudius.

Naso, see Actorius.

Naturalis Historia, Plin.

Naulochus, A. xvi. 1. A town Id
the north-eastern part of Sicily,
near Mylae.

Nauplius, N.,xxxix. 3. Nauplius,
king of Euboea and father of
Palamedes. To avenge the un-
just execution of his son before
Troy, he caused the wreck of the
returning Greek ships by false
beacons.

Neapolis, A. xcvm. 5; T. iv. 2,

vi. 2; N. xx. 2, 3; xxv. 1, XL. 4;
Verg. 11, 36. Modern Naples.

Neapolitan^ A. xcn. 2. The
inhabitants of Neapolis (Naples).

Neapolitans, -a, -um, adj. from
Neapolis : certamen, CI. XI. 2.

Nemausenses, T. xni. 1. The
inhabitants of Nemausus, a city
of southern Gaul : modern Nlmes.

Neraorensis, -e, aai. from nemus,
grove," applied to the grove
of Diana at Aricia, J. xlvi.;
rex, Cal. xxxv. 3. The priest
of Diana of Aricia (see note).

Neoptolemus, Cal . lvii . 4 . A tragic
actor.

Nepos, see Cornelius.

Neptunus, A. XVI. 2, XVHI. 2. The
Italic god identified with the
Greek Poseidon, god of the Sea.

Nero, a word of Sabine origin, T.

1. 2; see Claudius, Salvius Otho,
Tiberius, Titus.

Nero, T. liv. 1 (bit), 2 (bis); Cal.

vii. (bis); CI. IX. 1. Son of
Germanicus.

Nero, the Emperor : Ahenobarbus,
N. vii. 1, xli. 1; Augustus, N.
xlvi. 3; Nero Caesar, Vit. H. 2;
Kh. I.; Pass.; Nero, CI. xxvii. 2
(bis), xxxix. 2, xliii., xlv. ; N. I.

2, v. 1. 2, vi. 2, vii. 1, xxiii. 1,
XXXIX. 2, in Greek (bis) and in
Latin, 3, XL. 2, XLI. 1, xlviii.
2 (bis), 3, XLIX. 3 (in Greek)
lvh. 2; G. i. (bis), n., vi, I,

vm. 1, 2, ix. l, 2, x. 1, 5, xi.,

xii. 2, xv. 1,.2, xxn.; O. n. 2.

in. 1, rv. 1, vi. 1, x. 2; Vit. iv. t

XI. 2; V. iv. 4, v. 1, 5, 7, VI. 3,

ix. 1, xiv., xxv.; D. i. 1, xrv. 4;

Pers. (ter); Luc. (ter); Pass.

(bis, once for Gaius) ; Caesar, Luc.
Nero falsus, N. LVH. 2.
Nerones, T. iv. 3.
Neroneus, -a, -um, adj. from Nero :

agona, N. xxi. 1 ; mensem, N. LV. ;

certamini, Vit. iv.
Neronia, N. xii. 3.
Neronianus, see Patrobius.
Neronianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Nero : cantica, Vit. xi. 2.
Neropolis, N. lv. A name which

Nero proposed to give Rome.
Nerulonensis, -e, adj. from Nernlum,

a town of Lucania on the road

from Capua to Rhegium : A. iv. 2.
Nerva, D. 1. 1 : Nervae forum, D. v. ;

see note.

Nicanor, A. lxxxix. 1; see also
Saevius.

Nicias, see Curtius.

Nicomedes, J. II., xlix. (series).
Nicomede8 IV, king of Bithynia.

Nicon, A. xcvi. 2. '* Victor," the
name of a donkey.

Nicopolis, A. xvill. 2.

Niger, see Aquilius and Novius.

Nigidius, P. A., xciv. 5. P.
Nigidius Figulus, a contem-
porary of Caesar and Cicero,
called by Gellius (4. 9) the most
learned of the Romans next to
Varro.

Nigrinus, see Pontius.

Nilus, A. xvni. 2. The Nile.

Nioba, N. xxi. 2. Niobe.

Nisus. Verg. 42.

Nobilior, see Fulviua.

Nola, A. xcvm. 5, 0. 2; T. XL.
A city of Campania, north-east
of Naples.

Nomentana via, N. XLVin. 1. A
road running through the porta
Collina north-east to Nomentum
in the Sabine country.

Nonae, the seventh day of March,
May, July and October, and the
fifth of the other months.

NopianuB, see Servilius.

539

Digitized by

INDEX

Nonius Asprenas Torquatus (C),
A. xlih. 2, lvi. 3; Cal. xxxv. 1.
Nonnius, Hor.

Norbanus Flaccus, Vit. m. 2.

Consul in 15 A.D.
Noricum regnum, T. xvi. 2. A

country of central Europe,

between Cisalpine Gaul and the

upper course of the Danube.
Novaria, Rh. VI. A town of

Transpadine Gaul.
Novariensis, -e, adj. from Novaria :

Rh. VI.
Novatus, see Iunius.
November raensis, J. XL. 2; A.

xxxu. 3.
Novius Niger, J. xvu. 1, 2.
Novocomensis, -e, adj. from Novum

Comum : Pliu.
Novum Comum, J. xxvill. 3. A

town of Cisalpine Gaul on lacus

Larius (the Lake of Como);

modern Como.
Nuceria, Vit. I. 3, II. 2. A residence

of the Vitellii, probably the town

of Campania, south-east of

Naples.

Nucerinus, -a, -um, adj. from

Nuceria : Rh. IV.
Numidae, Ter. I. The people of

Numidia in northern Africa,
numidicae {sc. aves), Cal. XXII. 3.

A kind of Guinea-fowl.
Numidicu8, see Metellus.
Numidicus, -a, -um, adj. from

Numidia : lapis, J. LXXXV. A

handsome yellow marble from

Numidia, giallo antico.
Numitorius, Verg. 43.
Nursia, V. I. 3 (Iris). A town in

the Sabine country, north-east of

Rome on the Nar.
Nursini, A. xn. The people of

Nursia.
Nymphae, T. XLIH. 2.
Nymphidius Sabiuus, G. XI., XVI. 1.

Prefect of the Praetorian Guard.
Nysa, J. xlix. 3. Daughter of

Nicomedes.

Ocbanus, Cal. xlvi. {Ha), XLvn.;

CI. I. 2 ; septemtrionalis, Ci. xvu. 3.
Ocellare cognomeu, G. IV. 1,
Ocelli na, see Li via,

540

Octavia, maior, A. IV. 1. Sister

of Augustus.
Octavia, minor, J. xxvn. 1 ; A. rv.

1, xxix. 4, lxi. 2, lxiii. 1; T.
vi. 4; Verg. 32. Sister of
Augustus.

Octavia, CI. xxvn. 1, 2 ; N. vn. 2,
xxxv. 1 {bis), 3, xlvi. 1, lvii. 1.
Daughter of the Emperor Clau-
dius.

Octayiae porticus, A. xxix. 4;
Or.' xxi. A colonnade between
the circus Flaminius and the
theatre of Marcellus, built by
Augustus in place of the porticus
Metelli, and named from his
younger sister Octavia.

Octavii, A. 1., 11. 2, 3.

Octavius, -a, -um, adj. to Octavius :
gens, A. I. ; vicus, A. I. A street
of Velitrae.

Octavius, A. I. A general of
Velitrae.

Octavius, see Augustus.

Octavius, J. xlix. 2.

(Octavius), C. and Cn., A. n. 2.

Octavius, C, A. III. 1, 2, VII. 1,
xxvn. 1, xoiv. 4, xcv. 5 (bis),
0. 1. Father of Augustus.

Octavius Avitus, 9 » Verg. 45.

Octavius Lampadio, C, Gr. II.

Octavius Rufus, C, A. II. 1.

Octavius Teucer, Gr. in.

October meusis, A. xxxv. 3; T.
XXVI. 2; D. XIU. 3; Verg. 2. 35.

Oculatae, D. vra. 4. Two sisters,
Vestal virgins.

odium (odeum), D. V. A building
for musical performances in the
Campus Martins; the exact site
is unknown.

Oedipus. J. lvi. 7. A youtliful
tragedy of Julius Caesar : ex-
caecatus, N. xxi. 3; exsul, N.
xlvi. 3. Tragedies sung by Nero.

Oenone, D. x. 4. A Phrygian
nymph, beloved and • deserted
by Paris ; subject of an exodium.

Olympia, Cal. lvii. 1; N. xn. 4,
xxni. 1. The famous city of
Elis, the scene of the Olympic
games.

Olympia {sc. certamina), N. XXIV.

2, Lin. The Olympic games.

Digitized by

INDEX

Olympiacus, -a, -um, adj. from

Olympia: corona, N. xxv. 1.
Oly nip ius, -a, -um, adj. from

Olympus, see luppiter.
Onesimus, G. XIII.
Onysius, Hor.
Opilius, see Aureliua.
oplomachus, see gladiator.
Oppius, C., J. LII. 2 (bis), LIU.,

lvi. 1, lxxii. A friend of Caesar

and a writer of biographies and

other works.
Oppius Chares, Gr. in.
Oppius Sabinus, D. VI. 1.
Orbilius Pupillus, L., Gr. IV., vni.,

ix. (ter), xix.
Orbilius, Gr. IX. Son of Orbilius

Pupillus.

Orcivi senatores, A. xxxv. 1 (see
note).

Orcus, N. xxxix. 3. The Lower
World, abode of the dead; also
its king Pluto.

Orestes, N. xxi. 3, xxxix. 2.
Son of Agamemnon, who killed
his mother Clytemnestra and
was pursued by the Furies.

Orestilla, see Livia.

Orfttus, see Salvidienus.

Oriens, A. xill. 3; T. IX. 1, XH. 2;
Cal. I. 2; N. V. 1, xxxix. 1,
XL. 2; V. IV. 5, v. 7, VI. 4;
Tit. V. 3; D. II. 2; V. 35.

Origines. A. lxxxvi. 3. An his-
torical work of M. Porcius Cato
Censorinus, which discussed the
origins of the various peoples of
Italy and their history down to
his own time.

Ostia, T. x. 2, xi. 1; Cal. xv. 1,
LV. 1 ; CI. XII. 3, XVII. 2, XX. 3,
xxv. 2; N. xvi. 1, xxvii. 3,
xxxi. 3; xlvii. 1; V. vm. 3;
Rh. I. The seaport of Home,
•at the mouth of the Tiber.

Ostiensis, -e, adj. from Ostia :
portum, CI. xx. 1; provincia,
CI. XXIV. 2.

Ostienses, CI. xxxvra. 1, XL. 3.
The people of Ostia.

Otho, see Salvius.

Ovidius (Naso, P.), Gr. XX. The
famous Roman poet, 43 B.C. to
17 A.D.

Paois templtjm, V. ix. 1. Begun
by Vespasian in 74 a.d., and
completed four years later. It
lay behind the basilica Aemilia
and south-east of the forum of
Augustus.

Paconius, M., T. lxi. 6 (bis).

Pacuvius, M., J. lxxxiv. 2. An
early Roman writer of tragedies
(220-132 -B.C.), a nephew of
Ennius.

Padus, Verg. 19.

Paean, N. xxxix. 2. An epithet
of Apollo as the Healer.

paegniarius, see gladiator.

Paetina, see Aelia.

Paetus Thrasea, N. xxxvn. 1;
D. X. 3 ; Pers. (bis).

Palaemon, see Renimius.

Palatinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Palatium : Apollo, see Apollo ;
atriensis, Cal. lvii. 3 ; bibliotheca,
Gr. ii., xx.; domus, A. xxix. 3,
lvii. 2; CI. xvii. 3; V. xxv.;
D. XV. 2; ludi, Cal. lvi. 2.

Palatium, A. v., xxix. 1, lxxii. 1 ;
T. v., LIV. 2 ; Cal. XIV. 2, XXH. 2, 4,
xli. 1, xlvi., liv. 2; CI. xviii. 2;
N. vm., xxv. 2, xxxi. 1, xxxiv.
1; G. xiv. 2, xviii. 1; O. I. 3,
VI. 1, 2, VII. 1, vm. 2; Vit. xv. 2,
XVI.; Tit. n.: Gr. n., XVII. (bis).
The Palatine hill ; applied also to
the Palace of the Caesars on that
hill ; cf . Palatina domus.

Palfurius Sura, 1). xill. 1.

Pallas, CI. xxviii. ; V. . n. 5. A
freedman of Claudius.

Palumbus, CI. xxi. 5. A gladiator.

Pan, Gr. Hi. The Greek god of
flocks and shepherds.

Pandataria (Pandateria), T. Lin.
2; Cal. xv. 1. A small island
off the coast of Latium, used as
a place of imprisonment.

Paneros, N. xxx. 2.

Panisci, T. XLin. 2. Diminutive
of Pan; rural gods.

Pannonia, A. xxi. 1; O. IX. 3:
Vit. xv. 1. A country north of
Illyricum.

Pannonicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Pannonia : T. xvii. 2 ; bellum, T.
IX. 1, 2; beUa, A. xx.

541

Digitized by

INDEX

Pannonii, T. xvn. 1. The people
of Pannonia.

Pannonius, -a, -urn, adj. to Pan-
nonia : ducem, T. xx.

Pansa, A. x. 3, xi. (bis); T. v.;
Rh. I. ;see also Crassicius.

Paphia, Tit. v. 1. A surname of
Venus, from her temple at
Paphos in western Cyprus.

Papia Poppaea lex, CI", xix., xxm.
1 ; N. x. 1. A law passed by the
consuls M. Pap i us Mutilus and
Q. Poppaeus Secundus (9 A.D.),
regulating the relations of the
sexes.

Papus, see Aemilius.

Parilia, Cal. xvi. 4. The festival
of Pales on April 21, also the
traditional date of the founding
of Rome.

Paris, D. x. 4. Son of Priam; the
subject of an exodium.

Paris, N. liv. An actor.

Paris, D. in. 1, x. 1. An actor
of pantomimes.

Parmensis, -e, adj. from Parma,
a city of Cisalpine Gaul : see
Cass i us.

Parrasius (also Parrhasius), T.
XLIV. 2. A celebrated painter
of the early part of the fourth
century B.C. He was born at
Ephesus, but practised his art
chiefly at Athens.

Parricidium, J. Lxxxvni.

Parthenias, Verg. 11.

Parthenius, T. lxx. 2. A Greek
poet and grammarian, an in-
structor of Vergil.

Parthenius, D. xvi. 2, xvn. 2.

Parthenope, Verg. 36. Another
name of Neapolis (Naples).

Parthi, J. xliv. 3, lxxix. 3; A.
viii. 2, xxi. 3, xliii. 4 ; T. ix. 1,
xvi. 1, xli., xlix. 2, lxvi.;
Cal. v., xrv. 3, xix. 2; CI. xxv.
4; N. XLvn. 2, Lvn. 2 (bis): Vit.
n. 4; V. xxm. 4; D. n. 2; sing.,
N. XXXIX. 2; V. VI. 4. The
Parthians, a warlike nation
dwelling south of Armenia and
the Caspian Sea.

Parthia, Vit. xiii. 2. The country
of the Parthi.

542

Parthinus, -a, -urn, adj. from

Parthia : gens, A. xix. 1.
Parthus, see Parthi.
Pasicles, see Crassicius.
Pasiphaa (Pasiphae), N. xn. 2;

G. n. Wife of Minos and mother

of the Minotaur.
Passienus Crispus, N. vi. 3; Pass.
Patavinus, -a, -urn, adj. from

Patavium : see Cassius.
Patavium, T. xiv. 3. A cfty of

northern Italy; modern Padua.
Patris patriae, J. lxxvi. 1 ; A. Lvni.

1 ; T. xxvi. 2, lxvh. 2 ; N. vm. ;

V. xn. A title bestowed on

Julius Caesar and. various of the

Roman emperors.
Patrobius Neronianus, G. XX. 2.
Paulina, see Lollia.
Paulus, see Aemilius.
Pax, see Pacts templum.
Pedia lex, N. in. 1 {see note) ; G.

m. 2. A bill of Q. Pedius out-
lawing the assassins of Caesar.
Pedianus, see Asconius.
Pedius, Q.;j. Lxxxin. 2. Grand-
nephew of Julius Caesar, consul

in 43 B.o.
Peloponnesus, A. xvn. 3. The

southern part of Greece, the

modern Morca.
Penates dii, A. xcn. 1 : N. xxxn. 4.

Gods of the household, and of

the community as a collection

of households.
Perellius Faustus, Verg. 44.
Pergainenus, -a, -um, adj. from

Pergamum in north-eastern Asia

Minor : A. lxxxix. 1.
Pergamon, Verg. 38. The citadel

of Troy, a term used by the poets
- of the city as a whole.
Perialogos, Or. ix. A work of

L. Orbilius Pupillus.
Persicus, see Fabius.
Persius Flaccus, Ters. The father

of the poet.
Persius Flaccus, Aulus, Pers.;

Flaccus, Pers. (ter).
Perusia, A. xiv., xv., xcvi. 2;

T. iv. 2. A city in Urabria;

modern Perugia.
Perusinus, -a-, um, adj. from Perusia:

beUum; A. IX. ; murum, A. XIV.

Digitized by

INDEX

Pescennius Iaccua, Gr. m.

Petreius, M., J. xxxiv. 2, lxxv. 2.

Petro, see Flavius.

Petronia, Vit. vi. Wife of the
emperor Vitellius.

Petroniaous, Vit. vi. Son of the
emperor Vitellius.

Petronius Aristocrates, Pers.

Phaethon, Cal. XI. Son of Helios,
the S,im god, and Clymene. He
attempted to drive his father's
chariot and all but set the world
on fire.

Phagita, see Cornelius.

Phalacrina, see Falacrina.

Phaon, N. XLVin. 1, 3, xlix. 2.
A freedman of Nero.

Pharmacussa (Pharmacusa), J. IV.
1. A small island at the en-
trance of the Bay of Iassius, near
Miletus.

Phamaces, J. xxxv. 2.

Pharsalicus, -a, -um, adj. from
Pharsalus, a town of central
Thessaly, the scene of Caesar's
defeat of Pompey : aeies, J.
xxx. 4, lxiii., lxxv. 2; N. n. 3;
V. I. 2 : proelium, J. xxxv. 1.

Pharus, CI. xx. 3. An island near
Alexandria and the lighthouse
upon it; hence in general "a
lighthouse," T. lxxiv. ; Cal. xlvi.

phasianae (sc. aves), Cal. xxil. 3;
Vit. xiii. 2. Pheasants, so-called
from Phasis, a river of Colchis.

Philemon, J. lxxiv. 1. The name
of a slave.

Phiiippensis, -e, adj. from Philippi :
acies, A. xci. 1; beUum, A. IX.,
xiii. -1, xxii., xxix. 2; T. v.;
Hor. ; victoriam, Verg. 19.

Philippi, A. xcvi. 1 ; T. xiv. 3. A
town on the borders of Mace-
donia and Thrace, the scene of
the defeat of Brutus and Cassius
in 42 B.C.

Philippicae (orationes), see Tullius
Cicero, M.

Philippus, Cal. Lvn. 4. Philip I,
king of Macedon, father of
Alexander the Great, assassinated
in 336 B.C.

Philippus, see Marcius.

Philocomus, see Vettius.

Philologus, Or. x. (bis); see alio

Ateius.
Philopoemen, see Vinius.
Philus, Ter. I.

Phoebe, A. LXV. 2 (bis). A freed-
woraan.

Phoebus, A. LXX. 1. An epithet
of Apollo as god of light.

Phoenissae, J. xxx. 5; cf. A. xxv.
4. "The Phoenician Women,"
a tragedy of Euripides.

Phrygius, -a, -um, Verg. 38.

Phyllis, D. xvn. 3.

Picenum, J. xxiv. 1. A district on
the eastern coast of central Italy.

Pictor, see Carvilius.

Pinarius, L., J. Lxxxm. 2. Grand-
nephew of Julius Caesar.

Pinax, Gr. vi. ; see note.

Piso, see Calpurnius.

Pisonianus, -a, -um, adj. from Piso :
coniuratiOj N. xxxvi. 1; Luc.

Pitholaus, J. lxxv. 5. A rhetori-
cian and poet of the time of
Julius Caesar.

Pius, T. xvn. 2: Cal. xxii. 1. A
surname conferred on several
of the Roman emperors.

Placentia, J. lxix.; O. ix. 2. A
town of Cisalpine Gaul on the
Po; modern Piacenza.

Plancus, see Munatius.

Plato. Cal. xxxiv. 2. The Greek
philosopher.

Plautia Urgulanilla, CI. xxvi. 2
(bis), xxvu. 1. Wife of the
emperor Claudius.

Plautius, A., CI. xxiv. 2; V. nr. 1.

Plautius, A., N. xxxv. 4.

Plautius Rufus, A. xix. 1.

Plautus (T. Maccius), Ter. V.

Plinius Secundus, (C), Cal. vra. 1, 2,
3 (bis); Plin. Pliny the elder,
author of the Natural History.
He lived from 23 to 79 a.d.

Plotia Hieria, Verg. 9.

Plotius, -a, -um, adj. to Plotius :
rogatio, J. v.

Plotius Gallus, Rh. n. (bis).

Plotius Tucca, Verg. 37, 38, 40.

Plotus, see Voltacilius.

Poeni, T. n. 1. The Phoenicians
and (usually) the Carthaginians,
as descendants of the Phoenicians.

543

Digitized by

INDEX

Polemo, N. xvin.

Polla, see Vespasia.

Pollentinus, -a, -um, adj. from

Pollentia, a town of Liguria;

modern Pollenza : plebs, T.

xxxvn. 3.
Pollio, see Asinius, Clodius, Ves-

pasius.

Pollux, J. x. 1; T. xx.; Cal. xxn.

2. Brother of Castor.
Polus, A. lxvu. 2. A freedman.
Polybius, A. ci. 1. A freedman

of Augustus.
Polybius, CI. xxvra. A freedman

of Claudius.
Polycrates, Cal. xxi. The cele-
brated tyrant of Samos, famous

at first for his good fortune, but

betrayed and crucified in 522 B.C.
Polyhistor, see Cornelius Alexander.
Pompeia, J. VI. 2, LXXIV. 2.

Daughter of Q. Pompeius.
Pompeia, T. VI. 3. Sister of Sex.

Pompeius.
Pompeianus, -a, -nm, adj. from

Pompeius : bellum, J. lvi. 1 ;

biremes, A. xvi. 3; curia, J.

lxxxi. 3; domus, T. xv. 1;

partes, V. I. 2; theatrum, T..

XLVII. (see Pompeius Magmis);"

CI. xxi. 1; as subst., T. lvh. 2.
Pompeii, Gr. xv. The Poinpey

family.

Pompeii, conjecture in CI. xxil. 1.

The Cam pan inn town.
Pompeius, T. lvh. 2. A Roman

knight.

Pompeius Lenaeus, Gr. n., XV.

Pompeius Magnus, Cn., J. XIX. 2
(bis), xx. 5, xxi. (bis), xxrv. 1,
xxvi. 1 (bis), xxvu. 1, xxvm.

2, XXIX. 2, XXX. 2, XXXIV. 2,
XXXV. 1, 2 (bis), XXXVI., XXXVII.
1, XLIX. 2, L. 1 (bti), LIV. 3,
LXVHI. 2, 3, LXIX., LXXV. 1 (bis),

4, LXXXIII. 1 ; A. IV. 1 (Magnus
Pompeius), vm. 1, xxxi. 5;
N. II. 3; Gr. xrv. (ter), xv.
(Magnus Pompeius) ; Rh. i., m. ;
Verg. 2; Luc; Pompei curia,
J LXXX. 4, LXXXIV. 3- Pompei
theatrum, A. xxxi. 5; Cal. xxi.;
CI. xi. 3; N. xlvi. 1. Pompey*8
theatre, the first permanent

544

theatre in Rome, built in the
campus Martius in 55 B.C.

Pompeius Magnus, Cn., Cal. xxxv.
1; CI. xxvu. 2 (bis), xxix. 1, 2.
Husband of Antonia, daughter
of Claudius. His surname Mag-
nus was inherited.

Pompeius, Sextus, A. ix., xvi.
(ter), XLVH., lxvhi., lxxiv.;
T. iv. 3, VI. 3. Son of Pompey
the Great. 8

Pompeius, Sex., A. 0. 1. Consul
in 14 a.d.

Pompeius Macer, J. lvi. 7.

Pompeius (Rufus), Q., J. VI. 2.

Pompilius Andronicus, M., Gr.

VHI.

Pomponius, M., Rh. I.

Pomponius Flaccus, T. XLn. 1.

Pomponius Marcellus, M., Gr. XXII.

Poinptinae paludes, J. XLIV. 3.
The Pomptine Marshes in Latin m.

Pompusianus, see Mettius.

Pontia, T. Lrv. 2. An island off
the coast of Latium, used as a
place of imprisonment; plur.,
Cal. xv. 1, referring to Pontia
and the neighbouring islands.

Ponticus, -a, -um, adj. from
Pontus: triumphus, J. xxxvn.
1, 2.

Pontius Aquila, J. Lxxvin. 2 (ter).

Tribune of the commons.
Pontius Nigrinus, C, T. LXXm. 1.

Consul in 37 A.D.
Pontus, J. xxxv. 2, xxxvi., xliv. 3 ;

N. xvill. A country in the

north-eastern part of Asia Minor.
Popillius, M., Ter. rv.
Poppaea, see Papia.
Poppaea Sabina, N. xxxv. 1, 3,

4, 5; O. in. 1. Wife of the

emperor Nero.
Poppaeus Sabinus, C. V. n. 1.

Consul in a.d. 9.
Porcius (Licinus), Ter. I., v. A

writer of epigrams, who flourished

about 100 B.C.
Porius, Cal. xxxv. 3 (see note).
Posides, CI. xxvm.
Postumia, J. L. 1.
(Postumius), M., Gr. V.
Postumius, see Saevius.
Postumus. see Rabirius.

Digitized by

INDEX

Praeconinus, see Aelius.

Praeneste, A. ixxn. 2, Lxxxn. 1:
T. rv. 2; Gr. xvn. An important
hill town of Latium, east of Koine,
the modern Palestrina.

Praene9tinus, -a, -urn, adj. from
Praeneste : sortium, T. lxiii. 1 ;
see also Fortuna.

Priamus, T, LXII. 3.

Priapea, Verg. 17.

Priapus, Cal. lvi. 2; Gr. XI. God
of fertility and of gardens and
vineyards; represented in an
obscene form.

Primus, see Antonius.

Princeps, Gr. iv. A grammarian.

Priscus, see Caesonius, Helvidius,
Tarquinius.

Probus, see Valerius.

Proculus, see Acerronius, Aesius and
Valerius.

Propertius, Sex., Verg. 30. The
famous elegiac poet of the
Augustan Age.

Proserpina, N. XL VI. 2. Latin
form of Persephone, carried off
by Dis (Pluto), and made queen
of the Under World.

Psylli, A. xvii. 4. Snake-charmers
and healers of snake-bite.
Originally the name of an
African people, whose bodies,
according to Pliny, N.H. 7, 14,
contained a poison deadly to
serpents, and gave out an odour
which put serpents to flight; cf.
N.H. 8. 93. Dio, 51. 14, adds
that they had the power of
sucking out all the poison of
every reptile, and gives other
details.

Ptolemaeum, A. xvra. 1. The tomb

of the Ptolemies.
Ptolemaeus (Auletes), J. liv. 3;

CI. xvi. 2.
Ptolemaeus, J. XXXV. 1. Son of

Auletes.

Ptolemaeus, Cal. xxvi. 1, XXXV. 1,
iv. 1. Son of king Juba.

publicani, J. xx.; A. xxiv.; Cal.
XL.: Vit. Xiv. Farmers of the
public revenues, usually Roman
knights, who bid for the privilege
of collecting the taxes and im-

vol. n.

posts in the provinces, as a

business enterprise.
Pulcher, see Claudius.
Punicus, -a, -um, adj. from Poeni :

bellum, Aug. n. 2; Gr. n. (bis).

Ter. I. ; Bellum, the epic poem of

Naevius, Gr. II.; bella, T. XVI.

1 ; N. xxxvin. 2 ; Malum Puni-

cum, see Malum.
Pupillus, See Orbilius.
Puteolanus, -a, -um, adj.' from

Puteoli : sinum, A. xcvm. 2;

moles, Cal. xix. 1 ; (praedio), Ter.

m. ; via, Verg. 36.
Puteoli, A. xliv. 1 ; Cal. xxxn. 1 ;

CI. xxv. 2; Vit. XII.; V. vm. 3;

Tit. v. 3. A town near Naples.
Pylades, A. xlv. 4.
Pyrallis, Cal. xxxvi. 1.
Pyrenaeus saltus, J. xxv. 1. The

Pyrenees.
Pyrgi, N. v. 2. A small town of

southern Etruria, modern Santa

Severa.

pyrrhica, J. xxxlx. 1 (see note);
N. xii. 2.

Pyrrus (Pyrrhus), T. n. 1. King
of Epirus.

Pythius, -a, -um, adj. from Pytho ( =
Delphi), when games were cele-
brated every fourth year in honour
of Apollo : corona, N. xxv. 1.

QCLNDECDTORI J. LXXIX. (see

note); G.,viii. i.

Quinquatrus (Quinquatria),A. lxxi.
3; N. xxxiv. 2; D. rv. 4. The
festival of Minerva, so called be-
cause it came on the fifth day
after the Ides of March. When
it was extended to five days the
name was associated in the popu-
lar mind with its duration.

Quintilius Varus, (P.), A. xxm. 2;
T. XVII. 1. Consul in 13 B.C.
In 9 A.D. he was disastrously
defeated by the Germans and
his entire army was destroyed.
See Dio, 56. 18 ff.

Quirinius, T. xllx. 1.

Quirinus, see lanus.

Quirites, J. lxx.; CI. xix.; N.
xxxix. 2. A name applied to
the Romans as citizens.

545

N N

Digitized by

INDEX

Rabirius, C, J. XII.
Rabirius Postumus, CI. XVI. 2.
Raetia, A. xxi. 1. A country

north of Cisalpine Qaul, between

Noricum and Transalpine Gaul.
Raeticus, -a, -urn, adj. from Raetia :

bellum, T. IX. 1, 2; CI. I. 2;

vinum, A. lxxvii.
Ravenna,*. J. xxx. 1; A. xx., xlix.

1 ; T. xx. A city in tfle eastern

part of Cisalpine Gaul, near the

head of the Adriatic.
Reate, V. II. 1. A town in the

centre of the Sabine territory,

north-east of Rome.
Reatinus, -a, -um, adj. from Reate :
• conditores, V. xil.; municeps,

V. I. 2; oppidum, V. I. 4; rum,

V. xxiv.
Rebilus, see Caninius.
Reges, see Marcii.

Regilli, T. I. 1. A town of the
Sabines, also called Regillum or
Regillus, the location of which
is unknown.

Regillianus, see Claudius.

Regium, A. XVI. 3; Tit. v.. 3. A
town in the south- western ex-
tremity of Italy ; modern Reggio
di Calabria.*

Remmius Palaemon, Q., Gr. xxiii.
(bis); Pers.

retiarius, see gladiator.

Rhascuporis, T. xxxvil. 4

Rhenus, J. xxv. 1, 2; A. xxi. 1,
xxv. 2; T. ix. 2, xvm. 1, 2;
Cal. XLV. 1, LI. 2; CI. I. 2; D.

VI. 2. The Rhine.

Rhianus, T. lxx. 2. A Cretan

poet of the Alexandrine school,

who lived in the third century B.C.
Rhodanus, J. xxv. 1. The Rhone.
Rhodienais, -e, adj. from Rhodus:

homes, T. lxii. 1.
Rhodii, Tt xxxii. 2, lvi.; CI. xxv.

3: N. VII. 2. The inhabitants

of Rhodes.
Rhodius, -a, -um, adj. from

Rhodus : classis, CI. xxi. 6.
Rhodus, J. rv. 1, 2; T. xi. 1, xn.

1, 2, xiii. 1, xrv. 4, xxxn. 2,

lix. 1; N. xxxiv. 1; V. vm. 4.

The island of Rhodes, south-west

of Asia Minor.

546

Roma, J. in., v., ix. 3, x. 2, xxxiv.

2, xxxvm. 2, xlh. 2, lxx.; A.
vii. 2, xiii. 1, xvn. 1, xxv. 2,
xxvi. 3, xliv. l, xlvi., Ln.,
lviii. 1, lx., xcra., XCIV. 3,
xovii. 3: T. I. 1, U. 3, IV. 3,
V., VII. 3, X. 2, XV. 1, XVI. 1,
XXXII. 2, XXXVII. 1, XXXIX (bis),
LIX. 2, LXII. 1, LXIII. 1, LXV. 2,

lxxii. 1, lxxv. 3; Cal. 11., vi. 1
(few), xv. 1, xxiii. 2, xxxn. 2,

XXXIX. 1, XLIV. 2, XLVII., LVII.

1, 2; CI. in. 4, vi. 1, xvn. 2,
xxv. 4, 5 ; N. v. 1, xn. 3, xxi. 1,
xxii. 3, xxv. 1 (bis), xxvm. 2,
xx xrv. l, xxxvi. l, xxxix. 2,
xli. 2, lv.; G. xi.; Vit. 1. 2,
vii. 2, xiv. 2; V. vni. 3; Tit. v.

3, VIII. 3; D. VI. 2; Gr. I., ix.,

xiv. , xx., xxra., xxiv.; Rh. l,
vi.; Ter. 1., iv.; Verg. 11, 13,
35 ; Pers.

Romani, J. xxv. 2; A. XL. 5,
xcvni. 3 ; Tib. lxi. 3 ; Ter. 1.

Romanus, -a, -um, adj. from Roma :
civi8, Gives, J. XI.; T. xxxvn. 3;
CI. xxiv. 1; G. ix. 1; V. m.
(fern.); eivitas, Cal. xxxvm. 1;
CI. xxv. 3; N. xn. 1, xxiv. 2;
civiiates, A. XL. 3 ; G. XIV. 3 ; dis-
ciplina cultusque, J. XXIV. 2 ; dux,
Ter. 1. ; duces, CI. 1. 1 ; Ter. 1. ;
eques, equites, J. xrv. 2, xxvi. 3,
xxxix. 2, xLvm.; A. xxrv. 1,
xx vii. 3, XL. l, XLm. 3, Lvn. 1;
T. vii. 2. xxxv. 1, xlh. 2, lvii. 2 ;
Cal. xv. 2, xvi. 2, xvm. 2, xxvi..

4, xxvn. 4, xli. 2, lv. 1; CI.

xv. 4, xxrv. 1, xxv. 1, xxix. 2;

N. IV., V. 1, XI. 2, XII. 1, XXXI. 4,

xxxv. 1, xxxvn. 3, xli. 2; G.
xv. 1; O. I. 3; Vit. II. 1, 2,
xiv. 3; V. ra., vin. 4, ix. 2;
Tit. rv. 2, vi. 1 ; D. vn. 2, vm.
3, XIV. 3; Gr. m. (bis); xvi.;
Ter. v.; Verg. 19, 21, 30; Tibull.;
Pers. (bis); Forum, A. lxxii. 1;
gens, CI. xxv. 3; habitus, A.
xovin. 3; imperatar, V. iv. 5;
liUerae, Gr. x. ; nomina, CI. xxv.
3; plebs, J. xrv. 1: T. lxxvi.;
populus, A. xxi. 3, xxxi. 5,
xlvii., Lvm. 2, lxv. 3, xoiv. 2,
3, 01. 2; T. xxi. 2, 3, 7 (bit),

Digitized by

INDEX

xlix. 2; Cal. iv., xi., xm.,
xxra. 1, xxx. 2 ; CI. in. 2, vi. 2,
XXV. 3, 5, XLIH.; N. XXXVH. 3;
G. x. 1, xv. 2; res, Gr. x.; Verg.
19; scriptures, Verg. 30; sernio,
A. xcviil. 3; signa, Cal. xiv. 3;
urbs, Verg. 21.

Romulus, A. vil. 2, xcv.; T. I. 1,
lix. 2; Cal. xxv. 1.

Rubico, J. xxxi. 2, lxxxi. 2, The
river Rubicon, in north-eastern
Italy, forming the boundary be-
tween Umbria and Cisalpine Gaul.

Rubria, N. xxvm. 1. A Vestal
virgin.

Rufilla, A. LXix. 2.

Rufio, J. LXXVI. 3.

Rufrius Crispinus, N. xxxv. 5.
Stepson of the emperor Nero.

Rufus, see Cluvius, Mettius, Octa-
vius, Plautius, Pompeius, Ruti-
lius, Salvidienus.

Russus (?), see Claudius.

Rusticus, see Iunius.

Rustius Caepio, D. ix. 2.

Rutilius Rufus, (P.), A. LXXXIX. 2 :
Gr. vi. A celebrated orator ana
writer, consul in 105 B.C.

Sabbata, A. lxxvi. 2 ; T. xxxn. 2
(see note). The Sabbath of the
Jews; the seventh day of the
week, Saturday.

Sabina, see Poppaea.

Sabini, T. I. 1; Vit. I. 2; V. I. 4,
n. 1: Tit. x. 1. The Sabines, a
people of central Italy, dwelling
in the region north-east of Rome

Sabinus, -a, -um, adj. from Sabini :
lingua, T. I. 2; ram, Hor.

Sabinus, see Asellius, Cornelius,
Flavius, Nymphidius, Oppius,
Poppaeus.

Sabratensis, -e, adj. from Sabrata,
a town of northern Africa, south-
west of Carthage : V. in.

Sacra via, J. xlvi., lxxx. 4:
Vit. xvn. 1. The oldest and
most famous street of Rome,
running from the Colosseum
valley to the summit of the
Velia (marked by the arch of
Titus), and thence across the
Forum to the temple of Saturn

and the beginning of the clivus
Capitolinus.

Saeculare carmen, Hor. An ode
written by Horace for the
Saeculares ludi of Augustus.

Saeculares ludi, A. xxxi. 4 (bis):
CI. XXI. 2; Vit. II. 5; D. iv. 3.
Sacrifices to the gods of the
Lower World, made in the
Tarentum, a part of the campus
Martius near the Tiber. In the
year 249 B.C. they were made
a national festival, to be cele-
brated every one hundred years.
Augustus celebrated them in 17
B.C., Claudius in 47 a.d. and,
Domitian in 88 A.D.

Saepta, A. xliii. 1, 4; T. xvn. 2
(see note) ; Cal. xvm. 1, xxi. ;
CI. XXI. 4; N". XII. 4. A largo
enclosure in the campus Martius,
divided into smaller .sections,
where the comitia centuriata
voted.

Saevius Nicanor, Gr. v. (bis); M.
Saevius Postumius, Gr. v.

Salaria via, N. xlvhi. 1 : V. xn.
The road leading from Rome
north-east to the Sabine terri-
tory. It derived its name from
the trade in salt.

Salassi, A. xxi. 1.' A people
dwelling in the western part of
Transpadane Gaul.

Salii, CI. xxxni. 1 (see note). An
ancient college of priests who in
the early part of March made
solemn processions in honour of
Mars, in which they danced, sang
a hymn, and carried the sacred
shields (ancilia) ; cf . O. vm. 3.

Salinator, see Livius.

Sallustius Crispus (C), A. lxxxvi.
3; Gr. x. (quaten), xv. The
famous Roman historian (86-34
B.C.).

Sallustius Lucullus, D. x. 3; cf.
Luculleus.

Salus, A. xxxi. 4. Safety, wor-
shipped as a goddess. The augvr-
ium Salutis (salutis, Wissowa,
Rel. u. Kult 2 133) was an inquiry
whether prayers might be offered
for the welfare of the State. It

547

Digitized by

INDEX

could be made only in time of

peace.

8alvia Titisenia, A. LXIX. 2.

Salvidienus Orfltus, N. XXXVD. 1.

Salvidienus Orfltus, D. X. 2.

Salvidienus Rufus, A. LXVI. 1.

Salvito, J. lix. (see note).

Sal v iiis Cocceianus, D. x. 3.

Salvius Liberalis, V. xin.

Salvius Otho, M., O. I. 1. Grand-
father of the emperor Otho.

Salvius Otho, L., 6. vi. 1 ; O. I. 2.
Father of the emperor Otho.

Salvius Otho, M., the emperor:
M. Salvius Otho, G. xvn.; M.,
O. i. 3; Otho, O. vi. 1, xix. 1,
2, xx. 2; O. i. 1, m. 2, x. 1,
xn. 1; Vit. ix, x. 1, 3; V. v. 1,
VI. 2, 4; Otho imperator, O. n.
1 ; D. X. 3; Nero, O. VII. 1 (Ins).

(Salvius) Titianus, L., O. I. 3.
Brother of the emperor Otho.

Sameramis (Semiramis), J. xxn. 3.
The famous Assyrian queen,

Samniticus, -a, -um, adj. from
Samnites, a people of central
Italy : helium, Vit. I. 3.

Samus (Samoa), A. xvn. 3, xxvi. 3 ;
T. XII. 2: Cal. XXI.; V. vm. 4.
An island off the coast of Asia
Minor between Ephesus and
Miletus. '

Sandalarius, see Apollo.

Santra, Gr. Xiv. ; Ter. IV.

Sardi, J. lv. 2. The people of
Sardinia.

Sardinia, A. XLvn.; Gr. v.

Sarmatae, T. xli.; D. vi. 1 (bis).
The people of Sarmatia in nor-
thern Europe, east of the Baltic
Sea.

Sarnus, Rh. iv. A river of Cam-
pania, near Pompeii.

Satur, D. xvn. 2.

Saturae, Hor. Horace's writings
in hexameter verse, including
the Sermone8 and Epistulae.

Saturnalia, A. lxxv : Cal. xvn.
2; CI. v.; V. xix. 1. The
principal festival of the Romans,
beginning on Dec. 17 and
lasting for several days, in honour
of Saturn. It was a time of
general merry-making; see notes

548

on the passages cited and cf.

Sigillaria.
Saturninus, L., J. xn. A popular

leader and demagogue of the

time of Marius, thrice tribune of

the commons.
Saturninus, see Aponius and Iulius.
Saturnus, T. LIX. 1. An aucient

Italic deity : aedes, A. xxix. 5 ;

O. vi. 2, his temple at the western

end of the Forum; aerarium, CI.

xxiv. 2, the state treasury in the

temple of Saturn.
Scaeva, see Cassius.
Scalae anulariae, A. LXXn. 1. A

stairway in Rome, perhaps

leading from the Forum to the

Palatine behind the temple of

Castor.

Scantinia lex, D. vm. 3. A law
of uncertain authorship and date,
providing for the punishment
of unnatural crimes.

Scaptiensis, -e, adj. from Scaptia,
the name of one of the Roman
tribes: tributes, A. XL. 2 (see
note).

Scelerata Castra, CI. I. 3.

Scipio (P. Cornelius Africanus
Aemilianus) : Scipio. Ter. 1.
in. (bis), IV., v. ; P. Scipio, Ter. i;
P. Africanus. Ter. ni. ; Africanus,
Ter. 1. Scipio Africanus, Ter. 1.
The younger Scipio, who de-
stroyed Carthage in 146 B.C.

Scipio, P. (Cornelius), J. xxxv. 2,
xxxvii. 1, lix. (bis) ; T. iv. 1.

Scribonia, A. lxii. 1, LXin. 1,
lxix. ; Gr. xix. Wife of Augustus.

Scribonianus, see Furius.

Scriboniiw, T. XIV. 2.

Scribonius Aphrodisius, Gr. xix.

Scribonius Libo, L., T. XXV. 1, 3;
Gr. xix.

Scutarius, A. lvi. 4.

Scythae, A. xxi. 3. The people
of Scythia, north of the Black
and Caspian Seas.

Scytobrachion, see Dionysius.

Secundus, see Gabinius and Plinius.

Becutor, see Gladiator.

Seianus, see Aelius.

Selene, Cal. xxvi. 1. Daughter
of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

Digitized by

INDEX

Seleucus, CI. XX v. 3. King of
Syria.

Seleucus, T. lvi. A grammarian.

Seleucus, 0. rv. 1. vi. 1. An
astrologer.

semigraeci, see Graeci.

Semiramis, see Sameramis.

Seneca, L. Annaeus, Cal. LIU. 2;
N. vii. 1 (bis), xxxv. 5, lii. ; Verg.
29 ; Pers. The well-known philo-
sopher and tutor pf Nero (c. 4
b.o.-a.d. 65.). T. lxxiii. 2 per-
haps refers to his father, Seneca
Rhetor.

Senones, T. in. 2; CI. li. 3. A
Gallic people dwelling in northern
Umbria and the adjacent part
of Cisalpine Gaul.

Sentius, Cn., Verg. 35.

September mensis, A. xxxi. 2,
xxxv. 3, C. 3; T. xxvi. 2; Cal.
xv. 2; D. xiii. 3.

Septimius, Hor.

Septimontale sacrum, D. rv. 5.
The "Festival of the Seven
Hills," celebrated in December in
commemoration of the inclusion
of seven hills within one wall.

Septizonium, T. i. (see note).

Serapis, V. vn. 1, 2. One of the
principal Egyptian deities.

Sermones, Hor. See Saturae.

Sertorius (Q.), J. v. One of
Marius's generals, who after
the death of his commander
carried on war in Spain against
the party of Sulla for some
years. He was finally assassinated
in 72 B.C.

Servilia, J. L. 2 (bis). Mother of
M. Brutus.

Servilia Nais, N. in. 2.

Servilianus, -a, -um, adj. from
Servilius : horti, N. xlvii. 1.

Servilius Caepio, J. xxi.

Servilius Isauricus, J. ill.

Servilius Isauricus, P., A. Lxn. 1;
T. v. ; Rh. rv. (bis).

Servilius Nonianus, Pers.

Servius Tullius, see Tullius.

sestertius (semis tertius, sc. num-
mus), a Roman coin, originally
of silver but later of bronze,
equal to 2J asses, or one-fourth

of a denarius. It was equal to
2\d. or 5 cents, ana is the unit
in which sums of money were
most commonly reckoned by
the Romans. It was abbreviated
HS = 2\. In reckoning thou-
sands of sesterces the original
gen. pi. sestertium was often
used as a neuter singular; e.g.
Tib. xlii. 2 ducenta sestertia =
200,000 sesterces; but cf. Calig.
xxxix. 2 ducentis mUibus. In
reckoning larger sums the nu-
meral adverb was commonly
used, either with the gen. pi.
sestertium, or with the case of
sestertium demanded by the
context. In such instances cen-
tena milia is understood : e.g.
Jul. L. 2 sexagiens (centena milia)
sestertium margarUam mercatus
est ( = 6,000,000 sesterces, or
$300,000); Tib. XLVill. 1, pro-
posito milies (centena milia)
sestertium (= 100,000,000 ses-
terces). Suetonius has 23 cases
of the former construction and
apparently always used it. The
latter, however, is not uncom-
mon ; see, for example, Tac. Ann.
2. 37 liberalitate decies sestertii,
and for a full discussion of the
subject, Howard, Harvard Studies
in Classical Philology, vn. 210 ff.

Sestilia, V. in. 1. Mother of
the emperor Vitellius. .

Severus, see Cassius.

Sextilis mensis, A. xxxi. 2. The
month afterwards called Augus-
tus (August).

Sextius, Q., Gr. xvm. A celebrated
Stoic philosopher, a contem-
porary of Julius Caesar.

Sibyllini libri, A. xxxi. 1. Pro-
phetic books supposed to have
been sold to King Tarquinius
Priscus, or Tarquinius Superbus
by a sibyl. She at first offered
him nine. When he refused to
purchase them she burned three
and offered the remaining six
at the same price. On his
refusing, she burned three more,
and the king finally purchased

549

Digitized by

INDEX

three at tlje price of the original
nine. They were kept under-
ground in a stone chest in
charge of a college of priests,
at first two in number, then
ten, and finally fifteen (see
quindeeimviri), and were con-
sulted in case of prodigies, calam-
ities, and danger. They were
burned with the Capitolium in
82 B.C. and a new collection was
made, which was revised by
Augustus; see Aug. xxxi. 1.

Sicilia, A. II. 2, XVI. 3, XXV. 3,
xlvu., lxxxv. 2; T. ii. 1, 2,
iv. 2, vi. 2, 3; Cal. xx.; CI.
XXV. 5; Rh. v.; Verg. 13.

Siciliensis, -e, adj. from Sicilia :
hello, A. LXX. 2; pugnam, Aug.
XCVI. 2; peregrinatwne, Cal. LI. 1.

Sicuius, -a, -urn, adj. to Sieuli, an
ancient people of Sicily, hence
" Sicilian " : helium, A. IX., xvi.

1, xxil.; classis, CI. xxi. 6;
fretum (Siculum), T. h. 1;
victoriae, Cal. XXIII. 1.

Sigambri, A. XXI. 1. A people

of Germany.
Sigillaria, CI. v., xvi. 4; N". xxvm.

2. See notes on the passage cited.
Silanus, see Iunius.

Silius, C, A. lxxi. 2, 01. 1.

Silius, C, CI. xxvi. 2, xxix. 3,
xxxvi.

Silo, Verg. 14.

Silus, see Albucius.

Silva, Gr. xxrv. (see note).

Silvanus (M. Plautius), CI. IV. 3.

Sinuessani, Vit. VII. 2. The people
of Sinuessa, a town on the via
Appia, near the borders of
Latium and Campania.

Siren, Gr. XI. ; plur., T. LXX. 3.

Sisennia, see Fulvia.

Smyrna, also Zmyrna, Gr. VI.
A celebrated city of Ionia in
western Asia Minor.

Sol, JN. liu. The sun, as a deity.

Sosius, C, A. xvii. 2.

Spartacus, A. in. 1. A Thracian
gladiator who carried on a servile
war with Rome from 73 to 71
B.C. He was finally defeated by
M. Crassus, the triumvir.

550

Spelunca, T. xxxix.

Sphinx (Sphynx), A. L.

Spiculus, K. xxx., 2, XL vii. 3. A
murmillo.

Spoletium, V. I. 3; Gr. xxi. A
town of southern Umbria,
modern Spoleto.

Sporus, N. xxviu. 1, 2, xxix.,
xlvi. 2, xlvih. 1, xux. 3.

Spurinna, J. lxxxi. 2, 4. A sooth-
sayer.

Staberius Eros\ Gr. xni.

stadium, J. xxxix., D. v. A
building for holding foot-races
and athletic contests in the
Greek fashion. Caesar and
Augustus erected temporary struc-
tures for the purpose, and the
first permanent stadium seems
to have been built by Nero in
connection with his gymnasium
(Nero, xn. 3). Nero's gymna-
sium was destroyed by lightning
in A.D. 62, but Domitian built
a stadium on the same site,
which was restored by Alexander
Severiis. The modern Piazza
Navona preserves the shape and
size of Haitian's stadium
almost exactly; see Platner,
Topog. of Rome, p. 365.

Statilia Messalina, N. xxxv. 1;
O. x. 2.

Statilius Capella, V. ni.

Statilius Corvinus, CI. xm. 2.

Statilius Taurus, A. XXIX. 5; Cal.
xvni. 1; N. xxxv. 1. One of
the generals of Augustus, who
in 30 B.C. built the first per-
manent amphitheatre at Rome.
It was in the campus Marti us
and was the only amphitheatre
in the city until the building of
the Colosseum.

Statura, see Calpurnius.

Stellatis campus, J. xx. 3. A
district of northern Campania.

Stephanio, A. XLV. 4.

Stephanus, D. xvn. 1, 2.

Stilo, see Aelius.

Stoechades, CI. xvn. 2. Islands
on the southern coast of Gaul,
near Massilia (Marseilles).

Strabo, Caesar, J. lv. 2. An

Digitized by

INDEX

orator and writer of tragedies,
who died in 87 B.C. See also
Fannius.

Stymphalus, Ter. I., v. A town of

Arcadia, near a mountain and

lake of the same name.
Subura, J. xlvi. A street in

Rome, in the valley formed by

the Quirinal,«Viminal, and Oppian

(Esquiline) hills.
Suebi, A. xxi. 1. A nation of

north-eastern Germany.
Suetonius Laetus, O. x. 1. The

father of C. Suetonius Tran-

quillus.

Sulla, Cal. Lvn. 2. An astrologer.

Sulla, Faustus, J. xxvn. 1, lxxv.
3 ; Gr. XII. Son of the dictator.

Sulla, Faustus, CI. xxvn. 2.

Sulla Felix, L. Cornelius, the Dic-
tator, J. 1. 1, 2, III., v., XI., XLV.

3, lxxtv. 1, lxxv. 4, lxxvii.;
T. lix. 2; Gr. xn. (bis).

Sulla, P., J. ix. 1 (hi*).

Sullanus, -a, -urn, adi. from Sulla,
referring to the Dictator: tem-
poris, Gr. xi.; temporibus, Gr.

XIII.

Sulpicii (Galeae), G. in. 1 (ill. 3).

Sulpicius, CI. rv. 5.

Sulpicius, Ser., J. xxix. 1, L. 1.

Sulpicius Carthaginiensis, Verg. 38.

Sulpicius Camerinus, Q., V. II. 1.

. Consul in A.D. 9.

Sulpicius Flavus, CI. xu. 1.

Sulpicius Galba, G. in. 1. The first
of the name, consul in 144 B.C.

(Sulpicius) Galba, C, G. in. 4 (bis).
Brother of the emperor Galba.

(Sulpicius) Galba, Ser., G. in. 2.
Great-grandfather of the em-
peror Galba.

Sulpicius Galba, Ser., the Em-
peror: Ser. Galba imperator,
G. rv. 1 ; Servius, G. in. 4, iv. 1 ;
Caesar, G. xi. ; O. v. 2 ; L. Livius
Ocella, G. rv. 1 ; Galba, N. xxxn.

4, XL. 3, xlii. 1, XLVII. 2, XLVIU.
2, xlix. 3; G. n., in. 3, rv. 2,

v. 1, vi. 2, xx. 2; O. iv. 1, v. 1,

vi. 1, 2, 3, vn. 2, x. 1, xn. 2;
Vit. vn. 1, viii. 2, ix., x. 1;
V. v. 1, 7, vi. 2, xvi. 1 ; Tit. v.
1 ; Galba Cupido, G. XX. 2.

Sulpicius Gallus, 0., Ter. rv.

Superum mare, J. xxxrv. 1, xltv.
3, A. XLIX. 1. "The Upper
Sea," a name applied to the
Adriatic; cf. Inferum mare.

Sura, see Palfurius.

Suria, see Syria.

Surrentum, A. LXV. 1. A town
at the southern end of the Bay
of Naples, modern Sorrento.

Syracusa3,T.LXXiv.; Cal.xx., xxi.,
xxiv. 2. The celebrated city of
eastern Sicily ; applied by Augus-
tus to his study, A. Lxxn. 2.

Syria (Suria), J. xxn. 2 (Suria),
xxxv. 2; A. xvn. 3: T. xiv. 3,

XXXIX., XLI., XLU. 1, XLIX., 2,

lii. 3; Cal. II.; N. xxxix. 1;
Vit. II. 4, 5 ; V. rv. 5, VI. 3, XV.
Syria dea, N. lvi. (dea Syria);
see note.

Syriacus, -a, -um, adj. from Syria :
legionibus, T. xlviii. 2; expedi-
tione, Cal. x. 1; exercttum, V.
vi. 4.

Syriaticus, -a, -um, adj. from
Syria : exercUus, Vit. xv. 1.

Syrus, -a, -um, adj. meaning
" Syrian " : Gr. vni. ; pueri, A.

LXXXHI.

Syrus, Ter. m.

Talarius, Cal. vm. 4

Talentum, J. rv. A Greek weight
and sum of money. The latter
varied according to whether it
was of gold or silver, as well as
in different states of Greece.
The Attic talent, which is most
frequently meant, contained 6000
drachmae, and was equal to
nearly $1200.

Tanusius Geminus, J. rx. 2 (bis).
A writer of history and the
author of an epic poem (Annates),
slightingly referred to by
Seneca (Epist. 93. 9).

Tarentinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Tarentum, the city of southern
Italy: Gr. xvm.

Tarichaeae. Tit. rv. 3 (see note).

Tarpeius, -a, -um, adj. from
Tarpeia, who betrayed the
Roman citadel to the Sabines :

55i

Digitized by

INDEX

monti, J. xliv. 1; culmine, D.
xxm. 2. Applied to the Capi-
toline hill and to the temple of
Jupiter Capitolinus.

Tarquinius Priscus, A. II. 1. The
fifth king of Rome.

Tarracina, T. xxxix.; G. IV. 1.
A town of Latium on the via
Appia, modern Terracina.

Tarraco, A. xxvi. 3. A town of
north-eastern Spain, modern
Tarragona.

Tarraconenses, G. xn. 1. The
people of Tarraco.

Tarraconensis, -e, adj. from Tar-
raco : Hispania, G. vill. 1, one
of the provinces into which
Spain was divided under the
empire.

Tarsensis, -e, adj. from Tarsus, a

city of Cicilia : D. x. 1.
Tatius, T. I. 1. A Sabine king

who, according to tradition,

shared the throne with Romulus.
Taurus, see Statilius.
Tedius Afer, A. xxvil. 3.
Tegea, V. vn. 3. A city of Arcadia.
Telegenius, CI. XL. 3 (see note).
Telephus, A. xix. 1, 2.
Tellus, Gr. xv. "The Earth,"

worshipped as a goddess.
Temeniteff, see Apollo.
Terentia, see Albia.
Terentia, A. lxvi. 3. Wife of

Maecenas.
Terentilla, A. lxix. 2.
Terentius Afer, P.: Ter. I.; Ter-

entius, Ter. in. (bis), iv., v ; (ter)

Afer, Ter. iv.
Terentius Lucanus, Ter. I.
(Terentius) Varro, M., see Varro.
Terpnus, N". xx. 1; V. xix. 1. A

lyre-player.
Terra mater, T. lxxv. 1 ; cf. J. vn.
Tertia, J. L. 2. Sister of M. Brutus.
Tertulla, J. L. 1. Wife of M.

Crass us.
Tertulla, A. lxix. 2.
Tertulla, V. n. 1. Grandmother

of Vespasian.
Tertulla, see Arrecina.
Tetrinius, Cal. xxx. 2; plur., id.
Teucer, see Octavius.
Teutonr (Teutones), J. XI. A

• 552

people of northern Germany,
neighbours of the Cimbri, with
whom they invaded Italy. They
were vanquished by Marius.

Thallus, A. lxvh. 2. A slave.

Thasius, -a, -um, adj. from Thasos,
an island in the northern part
of the Aegean Sea : lapis, N. L.
A kind of marble.

Theodorus Gadareus, T. lvh. 1.

Theogenes, A. xciv. 12. An as-
trologer.

Theologumena, A. xciv. 4 (see
note).

Thermus, M., J. n. (bis).

Thessali, T. vill.; CI. XXI. 3; sing.,
A. xcvi. 1. Tlie people of
Thessaly in northern Greece.

Thoranius, see Toranius.

Thracia, J. xliv. 3; A. XCIV. 5;
T. xvi. 2 ; V. II. 3.

Thraex (also Thrax), Thraeces,
see gladiator.

Thrasea, see Paetus.

Thrasyllus, A. xoviii. 4; T. xiv. 4,
lxii. 3; Cal. xix. 1.

Thurinus, A. vn. 1 (ter). A sur-
name of Augustus; see Thurinus,
adj.

Thurinus, -a, -um, adj. from

Thurii, a town of southern
.Lucania : pago, A. u. 3; agrum,

A. m. 1 ; regime, A. vn. 1.
Thyatireni, T. vm. The people

of Thyatira, a town of northern

Lydia.

Tiberianus, -a, -um, adj. from

Tiberius : scoria, Vit. m. 2 ;

domo, Vit. xv. 3.
Tiberinus, -a, -um, adj. from Tiber :

vadum, T. n. 3.
Tiberis, J. xliv. 3, Lxxxn. 4,

lxxxiii. 2; A. xxx. 1, xxxvii.,

xliii. 1, o. 4; T. lxxii. 1, lxxv.

1; Cal. xv. 1; CI. xxxvm. 1;

N. xxvii. 3, xlvu. 3; O. vm. 3;

Vit. XVII. 2; V. XIX. 2; D. I. 2,

IV. 2. The Tiber.
Tiberius, the Emperor : Tiberius

Claudius Nero, T. xlu. 1;

Tiberius Nero, T. iv. 3; Ti.

Caesar, T. m. 1, xxm.; Cal.

xxxvii. 3; CI. xxm. 1; D. xx.;

Caesar, T. XXXI. 2, ux. 1; Or,

Digitized by

INDEX

XXH.; Pass.; Tiberius, A. XL. 3,
1*1. 3 (bis), Lxra. 2, LXV. 1,

LXXI. 2, 3, LXXVI. 2, LXXXV. 1,

i«xxxvi. 2, xcn. 2, xovn. l, 3,
XOVIII., 4, 5 (bis), C. 3 (W*),
ci. 2 T. iv. 1, v., xxi.

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, xxil. (W«), lxxv.
1, 2; Cal. I. 1, n., nr., vi. 1, 2,
vn., x. l, xi., xn. 2, 3, xm.,

XIV. 1, 3, XV. 1, XVI. 1, 3, XIX. 3,

xxi., xxvra., xxx. 2, xxxi.,
xxxvm. 2; CI. iv. 1, v., vi. 2,
xi. 3, xxv. 3; N. v. 2, vi. 1,
xxx. 1; G. m. 4, iv. 1, v. 2;
O. I. 2; Vit. n. 2; Tit. vm. 1;
Or. xvii., xxil., xxm.; Hor.;
Pass.; Augustus, T. xxvi. 2;
Pannonicus* Invictus, Pius, T.
xvn. 2.

Tiberius, see Claudius, the Emperor.

Tiberius, T. liv. 1, lxh. 3, lxxvi. ;
Cal. XV. 2, xxm. 3 (bis). Grand-
son of the emperor Tiberius.

Tiberius Alexander, V. vi. 3.

Tiberius Nero, A. LXH. 2; T. iv. 1.
Former husband of Livia and
father of the emperor Tiberius.

Tiberius mensis, T. xxvi. 2.

Tibullus, Albius, Tibull. (bis).

Tibur, A. Lxxn. 2, Lxxxn. 1;
Cal. vm. 1, 2; CI. xxxiv. 1. A
hill town on the Anio, north-east
of Rome, modern Tivoli.

Tiburnus, Hor. One of the three
mythical founders of Tibur.
Tiburni luculus (lucus), a grove
sacred to him; cf. Hor. Odes,
1. 7. 13.

Tiburs, -tis, adj. from Tibur :

regions, Cal. xxi.
Tiburtinus, -a, -um, adj. from

Tibur : ruris, Hor.
Ticidas, Gr. iv., xi.
TigiUinus, G. xv. 2 (bis).
Tigranes, T. IX. 1.
Tillius Cimber, J. Lxxxn. 1.
Tiridates, N. xm. 1, xxx. 2.

Tiridates I, king of Armenia,

brother of Vologeses I.
T it i anus, see Salvius.
Titii sodales, G. vm. 1; tee

note.

Titinnius, M., Rh. n.
Titisenia, tee Salvia.

Titurianus, -a, -urn, adj. from

Titurius : clades, J. lxvh. 2.
Titurius (Sabinus), J. xxv. 2. One

of Caesar's generals.
Titus, the emperor : Titus, V. m.,

xxm. 3; Tit. I. (cognomine

paterno), II.; D. x. 2, xvn. 3,

xxil. ; alius Nero,' T. vn. 1.
Tityrus, Verg. 43.
Togata (fabula), N. xi. (see note);

Gr. xxi. : cf. togatarius, A. xlv. 4.
Tolosa. Vit. xvni. A city of

southern Gaul, modern Toulouse.
Tonans, see Iuppiter.
Toranius, A. lxix. 1.
Toranius, C, A. xxvn. 1.
Torquatus, see Nonius.
Torquatus, L., Hor. Consul in

65 B.C.
Tortor, see Apollo.
Trabeatae, Gr. xxi. (see note).
Trachia (Trachaea) Cilicia, V. vm.

4. A name applied to the

western part of Cilicia.
Tragoedus, tee Iuppiter.
Tralliani, T. vm. The people of

Tralles, a city in western Asia

Minor (Caria).
Transalpina, see Gallia.
Transalpini, J. xxiv. 2.
transitoria domus, N. XXXI. 1.
Transpadani, J. ix. 3.
Transpadanus, -a, -um, adj. from

tram, Padum : regio, V. I. 4.
Trebatius, C, J. lxxviii. 1.
Trebiani T. xxxi. 1. The people of

Trebia, a town of Umbria, modern

Trevi.

Treveri, Cal. vm. 1. A tribe of
the Belgians.

Triton, CI. xxi. 6. A sea-god.

Troia, Troy, Verg. 38. 41. Also a
game described by Verg. Aen.
6. 596 ft*., and consisting of evolu-
tions by two troops of mounted
youths; -J. xxxix. 2; A. XLm.
2; T. VI. 4; Cal. xvm. 3; CI.
xxi. 3; N. vn. 1.

Tubero, Q., J. Lxxxra. 1.

Tucca, see Plotius.

Tullius, Servius, A. II. 1. The
sixth king of Rome.

Tullius Cicero, M., A. v.; M. Cicero
A. m. 2 (Epist. ad Q. Fr.); Gr.

553

Digitized by

INDEX

vn., xiv. (Epist. ad Dolabellam ;
ad AU.), xciv. 9; Gr. xiv. (Ep.
ad Att.) : Cicero, J. ix. 2 (Ep. ad
Axium), xvil. 2, XX. 4 (Orat. de
Damo), XXX. 5 (De Off.), XLII. 3
(frg. inc.), XLIX. 3 (Ep. inc.),
L. 2, lv. 1 (Brut.), lv. 1 (Ep. ad
Nep.), lvi. 1 (Brut.), lvi. 0;
T. II. 4, vn. 2; CI. xu. 3; Gr.
ix., xvi.; Rh. i., n. (Ep. ad
Tit.), v. (Phil.), Ter. v. (Limo).
(Tullius) Cicero, Q., J. xiv. 2;
Cicero, A. in. 2. Brother of the
orator.

Tusculanus, -a, -um, adj. from

Tusculum : Fortuna, G. xvm. 2 ;

praedium, Gr. xi.; villa, Gr. xi.
Tusculum, G. IV. 3, xvm. 2; Gr.

xvi. An ancient town of Latium,

south-east of Rome.
Tuscus, N. xxxv. 5.
Tyrius, -a, -um, adj. from Tyrus :

das sis, J. xxxix. 4; colons,

N. xxxn. 3. Tyrian purple.
Tyrrhenicon Historiae, CI. xlii. 2

(bis).

Tyrus, N. xxxi. 4. Tyre, the
Phoenician city.

Ulixes stolatus, Cal. xxm. 2.
Ultor, see Mars.

Umbria, J. xxxrv. 1, V. I. 4. A
district in the north-eastern part
of Italy.

Urgulanilla, see Plautia.

Valeria Messalina, CI. xvn. 3,

xxvi. 2, xxvii. l, XXIX. 3, XXXVI.,

xxxvn. 2, xxxix. 1: N. vi. 4;

Vit. II. 5. Wife of the emperor

Claudius.
Valerius Cato, Gr. n., iv. (bis), x.,

XI. (quinquies).
Valerius Catullus (C), J. Lxxra.

The celebrated Roman poet.
Valerius Catullus, Cal. xxxvi. 1.
Valerius Messala, M., Rh. I.

Consul in 161 B.C.
Valerius Messala, M., G. rv. 1.

Consul in 3 a.d.
Valerius Messala Barbatus, CI. XXVI.

Valerius Messala Corvinus, (M.),
A. Lvm. 1, 2, lxxiv. ; T. lxx. 1 ;
CI. xra. 2; Gr. rv.; TibuU.

554

Valerius Probus, M., Gr. xxrv.

Valerius Proculus, Verg. 37.

Vargunteius, Q., Gr. n,

Varianus, -a, -um, adj. from Varus :
clades, A. xxni. 1 (bis; see
Quintilius Varus), xlix., 1;
T. xvn. 2, xvm. 1; Cal. in. 2,

XXXI.

Varius,*L. Verg. 10, 37, 38, 39, 40,
41, 42. A famous Roman poet,
a contemporary of Vergil.

Varro, M. (Terentius), J. xxxiv. 2,
lxtv. 2; Gr. xxm.; Ter. n.
The famous scholar aud ency-
clopaedic writer (116-28 B.C.).

Varro Murena, A. xrx., 1, lvi. 4,
lxvi. 3; T. vin.; Gr. ix. (bis).

Varronilla, D. vra. 4.

Varus, see Alfenus and Quintilius.

Vaticanus, -a, -um, adj. : (collis),
CI. xxi. 2. The Vatican hill.

Vatinius, -a, -um, adj. to Vatinius :
lex, J. xxii. 1 ; rogatio, J. xxvin.
3.

Vectis, V. rv. 1. An island off the
south coast of Britain, the Isle
of Wight.

Veientanus, -a, -um, adj. from Veii :
(vraedium), G. I. An estate of
Livia's near Veii, called ad
Gallinds.

Veii, N. xxxix. 2 (bis). A city

in the southern part of Etruria.
Velabrum, J. xxxvn. 2 ; N. xxv. 2.

The valley between the Palatine

and Capitoline hills.
Veliterni, A. xorv. 2. The people

of Velitrae.
Velitrae, A. i., vi., xcrv. 2. A

town of Latium, south-east of

Rome.

Venerius, -a, -um, adj. from Venus :
loci, T. XLm. 2 ; res. Hor.

Veneta factio, Vit. vn. 1, xrv. 3.
" The Blues," one of the factions
in the Circus: see notes ou
Calig. lv. 2 and Dom. vn. 1.

Venus, J. vi. 1, xlix. 3; Cal. Ln.,
lvi. 2; Capiiolina, Cal. vn.;
G. xvin. 2; Coa, V. xvm.;
Erycina, CI. XXV. 5; Gcnetrix,
J. lxi., lxxviii. 1, lxxxiv. 1;
Paphia, Tit. v. 1; a tlirow at
dice, A. lxxi. 2 (see note).

Digitized by

INDEX

Venusinus -a, -urn, adj. from
Venusia, a small town on the
borders of Lucania and Apulia :
Hor.

Veranius Flaccus, A. lxxxvi. 3

Vergilins (Maro, P.), Cal. xxxiv. 2,
xlv. 2; N. liv.; D. IX. 1;
Gr. XVI., xxill.; Verg. 1, 5, 7,
29, 38, 43, 46, 48 ; Tibull. ; Luc,
cf . A. XL. 5 ; N. XLVII. 2.

Verginius Flavus, Pers.

Verrius Flaccus, M., Gr. xvn.,

XVIII., XIX.

Vespasia, V. 1. 3. A place in Umbria.
Vespasia Polla, V. I. 3 (bis), v. 2.
Ve8pasianus, the Emperor : Caesar,

V. v. 2, xra.; Vespasianus, CI.

xlv. ; G. xxill.; Vit. xv. 1, 2,

xvn. 1; V. i. 3, II. 1, v. 7, vi.

3 (bis), 4, vii. 3, xv., xxn.; D.

I. 3, ii. 2, xv. 2.
Vespasianus, D. xv. 1. Son of

Flavius Clemens.
Vespasii, V. I. 3.
Vespasius Pollio, V. I. 3.
Vestae aedes, T. L., 3; N. xix. 1.

The temple of Vesta in the

Roman Forum.
Vestalis virgo, T. n. 4 ; N. xxvm. 1 ;

inrgo maxima, J. lxxxiii. 1;

D. vm. 4 ; plur. Vestales virgines,

J. I. 2; A. XXXI. 3, xliv. 3, ci. 1 ;

T. lxxvi.; N. xii. 4; Vit. xvi.;

D. vm. 3.
Vestinus Atticus, N. xxxv. 1.
Vesuvius moiis, Tit. vm. 3, 4;

Plin. (Vesubius).
Vettius, L., J. xvn. 1 (bis), 2;

cf. xx. 5.
Vettius Philocomus, Gr. n. (bis).
Vibius Crispus, D. in. 1.
Vicetinus, -a, -um, Gr. xxm.
Victoria, A. o. 2; G. x. 4. Victory

worshipped as a goddess.
Vidius, Gr. xiv.

Vienna, Vit. ix., xvra. A town of

southern Gaul on the Rhone,

modern Vienne. .
Tigintiviri, A. IV. ; cf. J. XX.
Vindelici, A. xxi. 1; Hor. A

people dwelling in the northern

part of Raetia.
Vindelicus, -a, -um, adj. from

Vindelici: bellum, T. K. 1, 2.

Vindex, see Iulius.

Vinicianus, -a, -um, adj. from
Vinicius : coniuratio, N. xxxvi. 1

Vinicius, A. LXXI. 2.

Vinicius, L., A. LXIV. 2.

Vinius, T., G. xiv. 2; Vit. vn. 1.

Vinius Philopoemen, T., A. xxvn. 2.

Vipsanius, M., Verg. 44.

Viriatinus, -a, -um, adj. from
Viriatus (Viriathus), a leader
of the 'Lusitanians : bellum, G.

III. 2.

Viselliensis, -e, adj. of uncertain
origin; Pass.

Vitellia colonia, Vit. I. 3.

Vitellia, Vit. I. 2. A goddess.

Vitellia via, Vit. I. 3.

Vitelliamis, -a, -um, adj. from
Vitellius: bellum, D. I. 2;
milites, V. vm. 2.

Vitellii, Vit. I. 1, 2, 3.

Vitellius, A., Vit. n. 2. Uncle of
the emperor.

Vitellius, A., the Emperor. A
Vitellius, L. filius, imperator,
Vit. III. 2; imperator Vitellius.
Vit. I. 1 ; Augustus, Vit. vm. 2.
Caesar, Vit. vm. 2; Vitellius,
O. vm. 1 (ter), ix. 1 ; Vit. vn. 3,
xvn. 1 : V. v. 1, vi. 2, 4, vn. 1,
Xiv.; Germanicus, Vit. VIII. 2,
xrv. 4; Concordia, Vit. xv. 4

Vitellius, L., Vit. n. 2, 4, m. 2;
Pers. Father of the emperor.

Vitellius, P., Vit. n. 2. Grand-
father of the emperor.

Vitellius, P., Vit. n. 2, 8. Uncle
of the emperor.

Vitellius, Q., Vit. I. 2. Uncle of
the emperor.

Vitellius, see Petronianus.

Volaterrae, Pers. (bis). A town of
Etruria.

Vologaesus, N. Lvn. 2; V. VI. 4;

D. II. 2. Vologaesus I, king ot

the Parthians.
Voltacilius Plotus, L., Tth. m.
Vonones, T. xlix. 2. A king of the

Parthians.
Vulcatius (Sedigitus), Ter. n.

IV. , v.

Xenon (commonly Zenon), T. lvi.

555

Digitized by Google

Xenophon, J., ixxxvn. (Cyrop.).
Xerxes, Cal. xix. 3

Zknodotus, Gr. xi.

Zmyrna, Gr. xvni. (bis); An epic
poem of C. Helvius Cinna, a con-
temporary of Cicero and Caesar,
on the subject of the love of

Myrrha, or Zmyrna, for her father
Cinyras. Although the poem was
of 'small compass he spent nine
years in elaborating it, and it
abounded in obscure mythological
allusions and pedantic learning;
so that many grammarians ac-
quired fame by writing commen-
taries on it.

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